


Make Love: A Valentine's Series

by Shinocchi



Series: Mirthful Promises [6]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bittersweet, Childhood Friends, Chocolate, Come Eating, Domestic Fluff, Drunk Sex, Family Feels, Feeding, Fluff and Smut, French Kissing, Hand Jobs, M/M, Office Sex, Post-Canon, Rimming, Same-Sex Marriage, Semi-Public Sex, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-11 03:46:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3312710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinocchi/pseuds/Shinocchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of fics & drabbles written for Valentine's Day.</p><p>  <b>::: Updated :::</b><br/><b>Connection - Ren x Aoba</b><br/><i>They have their own definition for Valentine's.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sickeningly Sweet [Noiz x Aoba]

**Author's Note:**

> Traditionally, I'd write something for Valentine's every year, it's a resolution.  
> Last year, I wrote [Unworldly Lover](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1162458), a NoiAo High School AU. This year, considering that I've got multiple multi-chapter fics going on I decided to accept requests and make them all into one huge compilation of series. It's similar to how I did it for Noiz's birthday last year ([Make A Wish: An Erogaki Birthday Series](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1759253)). This Valentine's series would also be a compilation of various pairings - I have NoiAo, KouAo & KouNoi in my plan + the requests I received at the moment. 
> 
> It's seven days to Valentine's. Enjoy~
> 
>  
> 
> **Prompt #1: NoiAo Office Sex + Handmade chocolate**
> 
> Spending Valentine's with work isn't the how Noiz & Aoba want to celebrate the day. But they are fast to compensate for it.

**Part 1: Sickeningly Sweet**

It wasn’t usual for the both of them to spend their time in the reading room after nine. Noiz was usually the one seen to be burying his head in piles of documents and multiple hologram screens; sometimes he’d work right past the twelfth stroke , and sometimes when he saw Aoba peeking at him from a slightly agape door even before midnight, he’d get the hint and leave whatever uncompleted to the next day.

Today, though, both Noiz and Aoba found their presence next to each other – Noiz reading a document containing legal information of a contract he was about to revert the next day while Aoba sat on the couch, a few hologram screens up as he stared at the presentation slide on the screen, occasionally typing on the hologram keyboard with a small scowl on his face.

“Is everything okay?” Noiz asked, putting the contract aside and strolled over to sit beside Aoba. Aoba squinted at the statistics he just put into one of the slides and pointed at Noiz.

“Do you think this is okay?” he asked, following Noiz’s gaze to look at the numbers.

“I think it’s great,” Noiz said before he pat Aoba on the head. “It’s late. We need to wake up earlier tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep.”

Instead of responding, Aoba shifted his attention back to the screen and frowned at the details, seemingly ignoring Noiz’s suggestion. It was only when Noiz prodded him on the shoulder that he turned to look at Noiz again.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Why not you head to bed first? I need to tidy this up a bit more,” Aoba said, sounding apologetic and giving Noiz a bitter smile.

“I think it’s already perfect, though,” Noiz commented. But he couldn’t blame Aoba for being so overly tensed with what he was working on either. Aoba was appointed to conduct a presentation, in which his major responsibility was to sell a new set of product to a group of influential partners. It was a huge project of its own and Aoba couldn't afford to screw up. Noiz had told him that he’d have his back if anything was to happen but that idea did nothing but heighten the tension within Aoba as he threw Noiz a disgruntled glare, mumbling about not wanting to depend on Noiz all the time before he dived straight into business.

Noiz was serious, though. He genuinely thought that from the way he’d witnessed how Aoba had done the job, the entire process, and now the outcome of his hard work, he knew that Aoba would do a spectacular job tomorrow.

The only problem he had now was that Aoba was too troubled by his own anxiety to notice it himself.

Pulling Aoba over and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, Noiz said,

“Not too late, okay?”

Their roles were practically reversed now. And Noiz was almost relieved to understand how Aoba felt on days when his older boyfriend was the one who had to rush him to sleep.

***

 

The next day arrived a bit too fast for Aoba’s liking. When he woke up – this time, all by himself – he felt a strange wave of apprehension attacking every one of his nerves as he sat up, staring into space and momentarily drowning in the feeling that didn’t feel authentic to him. It was when Noiz knocked on the door that he sprung out of bed, almost running to the door just to see Noiz, still in his pajamas and bed hair, standing right in the door frame and giving him a surprised look.

“You seem like you just woke up from a nightmare,” Noiz teased, but Aoba quickly moved out of his way and darted into the bathroom. Despite the lack of response, Noiz followed him, standing beside him as he watched Aoba squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked again, concerned obvious in his voice while Aoba stuff the toothbrush into his mouth and nodded.

“No need to feel so nervous,” Noiz comforted as he wetted his own toothbrush. “It’s not like you have to present in German anyway.”

He’d requested it specially for Aoba; Aoba knew that he had done it for him out of thoughtfulness but when Noiz told him that he had requested for it simply because he knew that Aoba could express better in his native language, he felt a heavy stone lifted off his chest. He was always grateful for the things Noiz did for him, especially when Noiz could so effortlessly discovered little things that mattered the most to him like this. It made him feel as if Noiz really did understand him a lot more than he understood himself.

“Still,” Aoba retorted after cleaning his mouth and spitting the water into the sink. “They are all important stakeholders. What if I screwed up the presentation? What if I say something wrong? What if the things I said don’t make sense? What if--”

He stopped, realizing that he’d been mindlessly pouring his thoughts out again. Aoba wasn't really expecting an answer anyway, or rather, those questions were probably questions that he directed to himself. As he stared into the mirror, he was suddenly painfully aware of how unpleasant he looked like now with the obvious dark circles under his eyes – did he even look presentable enough to shoulder a five million dollar project?

“You’ll do fine. I can already see it,” Noiz said, distracting his thoughts as he wiped his mouth with a hand towel.

He trusted Noiz. He always did.

And he wanted to trust him again, especially now when he needed it the most.

He really did want to trust him again.

***

 

If he was given an option, he’d want to spend more time grooming himself but time was the only thing he didn't have now; they were almost late for work when they finally stepped into the office building. No matter how many times Noiz had assured him that he looked great with his high ponytail and sleek suit, Aoba was still unable to dismiss the unsettling emotions within him to the extent that he needed to spend ten minutes in the washroom just to calm himself down.

Noiz was evidently worried of him. Half an hour before the start of that important meeting, he beckoned Aoba into his room, made him sit on his couch as he pushed a cup of coffee towards him.

“Drink. And stop thinking too much.” Noiz had said, in which Aoba obeyed for the drink but not for the second part of his suggestion. It wasn’t something he could help, his mind was running on a treadmill, numbers and facts and complicated information flashing through his head in a rapid way, almost giving him a headache. His messed up thoughts were only put on a stop when Noiz pulled him over, tilted his chin up and gave him a deep kiss.

He wanted to push Noiz away, wanted to tell him that this wasn't the time to fool around but Noiz’s grasp on his chin was strong and before he knew it, he was pulled into yet another one of Noiz’s pace, finding himself calming down right before Noiz separated their kiss.

“You seem like you needed a distraction,” Noiz smirked at Aoba’s reddened face. “Just be yourself. You’ll do great.”

He had lost count on exactly how many times he had been hearing the exact same words from Noiz for the entire day. He couldn't figure out where Noiz got this confidence from when he himself couldn't see it. Probably Noiz managed to see something in him that he couldn't and he wanted to believe him but…

 

It was a huge lie if he was to say that he wasn't nervous at all when he saw the ten over directors, all dressed in suits, in the meeting room. All of them were professional-looking, all seemed to know their stuff extremely well, and it made Aoba felt imprudent for gaping over Noiz’s usual formal appearance during their first few months of stay in Germany. When Noiz started speaking in formal German, Aoba found cold sweat forming all over him, causing him to clench his fists on his lap before he found Noiz’s hand on top of his. He shot Noiz a side way glance, just to see that he was still speaking fluently to a group of high-ranking people, showing no apparent sign that he was holding onto his boyfriend’s hand under the desk. It was times like these that had Aoba gap in awe. He remembered Noiz as the nineteen-year-old brat from Midorijima; the brat who was so obsessed with Rhyme and the brat who knew nothing about real world responsibilities. But the ‘brat’ sitting beside him now no longer looked nineteen; in fact, he looked perfectly grown up and flawlessly charismatic. It made Aoba feel lightheaded for a short while.

When Noiz passed his speech to Theo, he gave Aoba a quick glance, then a gentle smile as he grasped harder on his hand. Aoba didn't need him to spell out what exactly he was telling him. It could almost read the reassurance from his nonverbal actions and it soothed his rampant nerves effortlessly. Taking a deep breath, he returned Noiz’s grip on his hand, nodded at him and lifted his head up to face the rest of the room.

If Noiz said he could, then there wasn't any reason that he can’t. Even when he had to depend on Noiz for the most times ever since he moved here with him to Germany, he was still undeniably four years older than Noiz. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and if he could overcome the great culture shock and language barrier he once had to face in this completely foreign land, then he could definitely overcome this. He’d survived the Platinum Jail incident after all, which was a life-threatening yet life-changing incident that he could never forget.

So when it was finally his turn to present, he stood up, gave the room a confident smile, and started.

“I apologize for my use of Japanese for this presentation but I am determined to present you with the finest of our ideas and I’d like to extend my humble request to allow me to use the language I’m best in for greatest expression.”

The room was quiet; everyone’s attention was on him. He could hear his own heartbeats in his ears but he could also see the anticipation in the crowd’s eyes. It told him that he’d nailed it.

Now everyone’s attention was on him. He had now officially owned the time.

 

He could literally feel the air leaving him when he ended the presentation. But above all, the claps and the approving nod he saw was worth everything. When he sat down and gave out a relieved sigh, a few of the stakeholders patted him on the shoulder, giving him more appreciative smile as they complimented on how substantial his presentation was.

“You brought up great points. We wouldn't have realized them if it wasn't for your point of view,” one of them had said. He didn't know if his ideas would work, but more importantly, he believed in them, and he wanted the others to share his belief. It was perhaps the main reason why he’d managed to influence this group of important partners so well.

A few of them then approached Noiz, obviously expressing the interest to venture further into the project. Their conversation had returned to German and Aoba found himself too tired to switch the translator in his brain on to decipher what they were saying. So instead, he leaned back against the chair, still trying to calm his nerves down when something Noiz said caught his attention.

“ _Das ist mein Lebensgefährte_.”

…Eh?

He almost jumped out of his seat if Theo hadn't called out to him.

“You did a great job, Aoba-san!” Theo grinned at him as he patted him on his shoulder. “I’m now hundred percent sure that this project would be a great success.”

“Thanks,” Aoba replied hastily, attention still on Noiz’s conversation with the other partners and head burning with curiosity. “I’m glad it worked.”

“It definitely does! This calls for a celebration. Why not we go out for dinner later at night? With brother, of course.”

Sensing that Theo was asking him a question, he turned around to look at him, about to consider his suggestion when someone else answered it for him.

“You do realize what date is today, right?”

Noiz was standing just right behind him. As to how he’d managed to slip out of his formal discussion with his partners just seconds ago was a mystery Aoba wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. It slipped my mind!” Theo smiled apologetically at them. “I shouldn't be disturbing then.”

When Theo walked away to attend to the others, Aoba looked up to see Noiz already fixing his gaze on him.

“You didn't forget about today, do you?” Noiz asked.

“Of course not,” Aoba smiled. Noiz gave his shoulder a firm grasp as Aoba placed his hand on top of Noiz’s. “By the way, are we done here? I mean, are you done with your discussion?”

Noiz looked over his shoulder at the group of people still talking among themselves before he nodded at Aoba.

“We have nothing else to do here anymore. Let’s leave the rest to Theo.”

It was precisely the answer Aoba was waiting for. The room, even though huge, was becoming too suffocating for him and he wanted nothing but to leave the place and breathe in some fresh air. As soon as Noiz gave him the yes, he immediately stood up and walked towards the door with Noiz following closely behind him.

Giving out a stretch right outside the meeting room, Aoba gave out another sigh, now completely relieved that he’d survived the important task. Noiz was still staring at him when he was done with the stretch, immediately drawing a curious pout out of him.

“Wh-what?”

“We’re done for today.” Noiz’s suggestive smirk told him that they weren't _really_ done for the day, though.

“Anything you had in plan, mister?” Aoba purposefully teased him. He knew that Noiz would have something in plan. If not because of the presentation today, it would've spent more time trying to dig more information of the said plan out of him.

Noiz pulled Aoba over by the wrist, inching closer towards his ear as he muttered.

“Come to my room?”

“Wait, here?”

“You don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Seriously, the nerves of this brat. Pushing Noiz away, Aoba frowned, face a tiny hint of pink before he said,

“Meet you later. I need to grab something from my desk.”

He didn't wait for Noiz’s approval before he made his way down the corridor.

 

Working with your boyfriend in the same company had its perks and its downs. One was that you would literally be seeing each other throughout the day and for Aoba, it was a great idea of its own seeing how determined he was to take care of Noiz for himself. Noiz was slowly and surely developing a healthier lifestyle than before but there were still times when he’d forget about small yet important routine that had Aoba nagging on him for the most times. It should be all good in its own way but if one was dealing with _Noiz_ … it could be a whole new interesting idea altogether.

Frequently, Aoba would find himself spending most of his time in Noiz’s office. It wasn't as if they weren't working – in fact, they always found themselves working on the same project – but the irony was that Noiz was also Aoba’s _boyfriend_ that made things stimulating at the same time. Sometimes Aoba wondered if Noiz would act differently if he wasn't a nineteen-year-old brat, if he was actually older than Aoba and that he wouldn't need to depend on Aoba for the most conventional things in his life. But whenever Noiz inched close to him, sometimes giving him a surprise kiss on the cheek when Aoba was so indulged in his work; or sometimes when he grasped Aoba’s hand out of nowhere, Aoba found himself growing fonder towards the new-found attachment Noiz held towards him.

He needed to constantly remind himself that Noiz had a few years of maturity to catch up and that he was still undoubtedly a young man no matter how much his appearance could deceive him.

When he walked back to Noiz’s office with a nicely wrapped box in his hand, he smiled at himself upon realizing that his own thoughts were occupied by how sickeningly adorable Noiz could be now that he no longer needed to worry about work. As he stood in front of Noiz’s office, he knocked a few times, heard the familiar ‘come in’ from behind the door and opened it.

Noiz was sitting on the couch with his jacket off, clearly waiting for Aoba. It made Aoba blush a little upon realizing what he could possibly be up to.

“Come here,” Noiz smiled upon seeing who it was as he patted on the empty space beside him. “And lock the door.”

“Heh, someone’s being insecure, huh?” Aoba smirked before he did as Noiz suggested.

“I don’t mind if someone is to find us out, though,” Noiz mirrored Aoba’s grin, opening his arms to welcome Aoba into his embrace before he continued. “I’m thinking for your sake.”

The last thing Aoba wanted was for someone who he’d be facing for the most of the day to discover his incoherent expression. He thought he had the upper hand.

“Now then,” Noiz said as soon as Aoba was settled comfortably in between his legs. Wrapping his arms around Aoba’s torso and bringing him into a firm hug, Noiz nuzzled his cheek against Aoba’s neck as he stared at the wrapped packet still held protectively in Aoba’s hands. “What Valentine’s gift have you gotten me this time?”

Aoba felt his heart race.

“I-it’s nothing much,” he quickly said, even though he knew that Noiz didn't mind a single bit.

“I didn’t expect any, to be honest. Because I know how important this project is for you and I’d want you to do what you want best,” Noiz responded. “But you took time to prepare me something.” Then, he kissed Aoba on the cheek, painting a deeper flush on his face. “I really appreciate it.”

“It’s really nothing much, though,” Aoba repeated, grabbing firmer on the package before he turned around to meet Noiz’s gaze, gave him a smile and pushed the package into his hands. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Noiz was smiling in such a genuinely happy way that Aoba felt his heart leap. He could see how careful Noiz was when he took the box out of Aoba’s hands. And when Aoba nodded, giving him the sign to open it, he was sure that Noiz wanted nothing but to stripe the packaging apart immediately despite his seemingly delicate action.

“How did you find the time to make this?” Noiz’s eyes brightened in surprise. Inside the box was a container, filled with none other but handmade Usagimodoki-shaped chocolates. It caught Noiz completely out of surprise.

“I did it in a rush,” Aoba responded hurriedly, looking away to avoid Noiz’s eyes.

Noiz tilted his head to look at the ceiling before he pulled his gaze back at Aoba.

“Yesterday night? After I went to bed?”

Sometimes Aoba hated how sharp Noiz could be but he nodded nevertheless, instantly feeling another warm kiss on his cheek as he felt his face heating up even more now.

“You did all these for me, even though you were stressed out about work,” Noiz seemed to be analyzing the situation but every word of his sounded so appreciative and sincere that Aoba can’t help but wanting to dig a hole and jump into it. “I’m really grateful for this. Thank you.”

“This is what I want to do,” Aoba defended, a weak attempt to uphold the very little pride he had left in him.

Noiz smiled. Staring at the cube shaped chocolates in the container, he said,

“Thank you. I also got you something.”

“Huh?”

Aoba was so immersed with the thought of him preparing something for Noiz that he’d totally forgotten about the fact that Noiz would've done the same for him too, or perhaps, even more than him. When Noiz opened the drawer of the coffee table and retrieved an almost similar sized container, Aoba’s eyes brightened.

“Don’t tell me…” He gulped when Noiz opened the packaging for him and showed him what was inside the container. There were a few love-shaped chocolates, black and white, and also a small invitation card attached to the side of it. “When did you find the time—oh.”

Noiz was still grinning at Aoba when Aoba flashed him an open-mouthed stare.

“That’s why you were awake so early this morning,” Aoba reminisced. “I thought it was too early for me to wake up, it was my distress which had forced me up anyway.”

“They weren’t too hard to make,” Noiz said. Well, yeah, for a prodigy like you, nothing would be hard. Aoba wanted to retort exactly that but Noiz was already holding up the small piece of invitation card and waving it in front of Aoba, distracting him immediately. “I've booked a restaurant for dinner tonight.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Aoba shot Noiz a smile. He was right, Noiz had everything planned out as usual, and probably this time, he would catch him off guard again.

“Before that, though, I’d like to try some of these that you’ve made for me,” Noiz said, pointing at the chocolate cubes in Aoba’s container. “Can I?”

“Help yourself,” Aoba responded, his eyes shifting between the neatly written words in the invitation card he knew was Noiz’s handwriting and the tidily arranged chocolates that were in the box.

“Why not you help me out?”

His quiet retort was soon drown out when Noiz pressed his lips against his, the kiss not deep enough to trigger a sense of want but clear enough to tell Aoba what Noiz meant by ‘helping him out’. Giving Noiz a scowl accompanied by a pout, Aoba picked one of the chocolate cubes up, teasingly waved it in front of Noiz before he pushed it nearer to Noiz’s lips.

“Eat up, brat.” Noiz was, technically, _his_ brat after all – a brat in an overgrown body of a man and a brat who never missed the chance to cling onto Aoba as if his entire life depended on it.

Noiz took the chocolate in in a bite while Aoba watched him munching on the piece, his eyes never left Aoba’s before he licked on his lips once he finished it.

“H-how is it?” Aoba asked cautiously. He’d tried his best to make them despite the very little time he had and he prayed that they didn't turn out too bad for Noiz’s picky taste buds.

“Not too bad. Oh, there’re some left.” Noiz picked up his hand, licked on the fingers that Aoba used to feed him before he kissed on the tips. “It tastes like you.”

“Sorry if it tastes weird,” Aoba responded, feeling dizzy with the overwhelming affection Noiz was pouring on him.

“It’s sweet,” Noiz rectified with a beam. “Want to try mine?”

He didn't even need give Noiz an answer before Noiz reached out to pick one of the love-shaped chocolate from his container and playfully showed to Aoba.

“I tried to cater to your taste. I hope you would like it.”

If Aoba hadn't grabbed onto the leather material of the couch, he was sure that he’d experience heat stroke from the passion Noiz was throwing at him now.

He was about to take a bite before Noiz pulled it away, still smirking tastefully at Aoba’s desperate attempt as he brought the chocolate to his lips and kissed it once, then twice.

And before Aoba knew it, the chocolate was pushed through his half-opened mouth, along with Noiz’s tongue, and the firm lips-against-lips sensation he felt told him that Noiz had practically fed him through his mouth.

Sometimes Noiz’s sudden actions like these made him wonder if he’d picked up all these techniques from cheesy romantic movies or if he’d just did it out of impulse. He wanted to believe that it was the latter, because Noiz was, after all, a personification of romance. He chuckled at the thought. He’d never thought of Noiz in such way when he first met him. Who would have thought that such an immature brat who was overly obsessed with a mind game would turn out to be such a romantic man?

The chocolate melted almost instantly in Aoba’s mouth – it was sweet and the fact that Noiz’s tongue was spreading every bit of the melted material on his – or rather, _their_ – tongue wasn't helping in further spreading the intoxication that was starting to fill Aoba’s mind with a layer of misty desire. When Noiz pulled his tongue out of Aoba’s mouth, he smirked at the sensual sight of Aoba’s eyes darkened with want and leaned forward to lick the saliva that had drooled down the corner of his lips to his chin.

“I guess I don’t need to ask if it tasted good or not?” Noiz asked mischievously. Giving another small peck on Aoba’s lips, he kissed him tenderly before he wiped on his eyelids with his thumb. “Too much?”

“Is there something else in the chocolate?” Aoba asked between pants. It was indeed sweet, delicious even, but he can’t help but notice that there was something else mixed in it that had, most probably, contributed to the heat that was rising both to his head and down to his crotch.

“Pinot Noir,” Noiz replied with a husky voice, a voice that shouted want. “The name of the wine I used as part of ingredients.”

“E-eh…”

Taking another piece of the chocolate up and biting on it, Noiz continued.

“The alcohol in there isn't too heavy to the extent that it’d make you drunk, though.” Then, he brought the remaining half of the chocolate towards Aoba, hinting Aoba to open his mouth, which he obeyed, before he pushed it inside. “But if I remember correctly, your alcohol tolerance isn't very good, right?”

The sweetness spreading in Aoba’s mouth burned every one of his nerves. His body was shouting for more, craving for more; the blood flowing through his veins made him feel as if his insides were on fire. He could hardly make out what Noiz was saying either.

“It arouses you.”

Noiz was right. He knew him too well. When Noiz engulfed him into yet another heated kiss, he felt his hand loosening his tie, then unbuttoning his shirt, and ultimately, unbuckling his belt and releasing his half-hard erection in the process.

“You’re already leaking so much,” Noiz narrowed his eyes at the sight of Aoba’s dick. Tracing a finger across the slit, his smirk deepened when Aoba hitched a breath, having to literally dig his nails into the material of the couch to contain himself. “We haven’t done it for quite some time, right? Since you were busy preparing for your presentation.”

Aoba took in a deep breath, mustered enough strength to shoot Noiz with a feverish glare.

“Also, if you hadn't been arousing me, I wouldn't become like this.”

He thought that’d put a stop to Noiz’s taunts; but he was wrong.

At the end of his words, Noiz grabbed a whole of his dick, lingering on the warmth that was starting to build up gradually before he started pumping languidly on it.

“What are you talking about? I’m just trying to help you release some stress. It’s Valentine’s after all,” he said, taking pleasure in the way Aoba had to bite on his lower lip to contain his moan. “Don’t worry, no one is going to come in now. You’d expected this anyway, didn't you? I remember asking you to lock the door.”

He’d expected this, but not the alcohol. If Noiz intended to make him lose his shrewdness then he was definitely doing a good job.

“Turn around.”

Noiz didn't even need to guide him before he was on all fours while he pulled both his boxers and his pants down and having him to position his ass towards him like a gift. The moment he was completely exposed, Noiz gave out small chuckle.

“I wonder how much I need to prepare you this time?” Noiz said, the amusement obvious in his tone. “Do you know, Aoba?” he paused, tracing his hand slicked with precum up to Aoba’s hole before he stopped near it and only traced a finger along the crease. “You’re twitching here, you sure you are aroused because of me or because you've wanted me for so long that your body just knows it?”

“Enough, Noiz,” Aoba’s voice almost cracked. “I want you, please. You want me too, right?”

That did the job. In the next second, Noiz had buried one of his fingers into Aoba, triggering a loud moan out of him as he felt the next finger beside the first right after a few thrusts.

“You’re too good at seducing me. What should I do with you now?” He could hear Noiz’s smirk in every word he said. In response, he moved his hips, meeting Noiz’s rhythm as he tightened his insides, urging Noiz to sink his fingers deeper.

Noiz reached his endurance limit after a few in and out thrusts. Aoba thought that he was going to stop right there, that he could finally get what he wanted and that the emptiness he was feeling right now was just temporary. But instead of a hot and hard dick he was expecting, he felt a wet and warm sensation trailing around his hole. He shrieked when that very wet tongue slipped effortlessly into him, pulling itself in and out of him and stayed momentarily in him for a few seconds before the feeling disappeared.

“You’re sweet too.”

Did Noiz also had his tongue filled with the taste of his own chocolate before he licked him?

He didn't have the time to clear his doubts, didn't even have the time to form proper words before Noiz was guiding him to sit on his lap, kissing him on his exposed neck with one of his hands on his dick.

“Position yourself,” he muttered hotly against Aoba’s flustered skin, although there was no mistaken the thick want in his voice that was starting to push Aoba towards his own limit. Desperate, he took Noiz’s erection in his hand, gave it a few calculated pumps before he sat up on his knees. As he pressed the tip of Noiz’s dick against his hole, Noiz leaned forward to take in a mouthful of the lump on his throat, feeling the vibration against his lips when Aoba slowly eased his length in, taking his head in with one simple push. Giving Aoba control on how he wanted to position Noiz in him meant having to control the urge to just pin Aoba down the couch and fuck the daylights out of him. He was _so close_ to do just that when he felt Aoba’s warmth wrapping around his head; Aoba’s intentional tightening around it not helping in slowing down that very impulse either.

“Aoba, faster,” Noiz pestered, a final yet desperate attempt to tell Aoba what he wanted.

Aoba didn't need to be told twice. He was about to do just that – taking the whole of Noiz’s length in – when a knock echoed from the door, causing him to bury the entirety of Noiz in in one deep thrust as a loud moan escaped his lips.

“ _Mein herr_?”

Noiz had to take a deep breath to get used to the sudden heat that was overwhelming his dick before he gave out a small cough, hoping that his was voice coherent enough to hide any unnecessary suspicions.

“ _Ja_?”

With Noiz buried deep inside him and with the piercing on the tip of his dick hitting directly on his prostate, Aoba found himself giving out intermittent, uncontrollable soft moans next to Noiz’s ear when he slumped his head on his shoulder. His mind went completely blank and he only came back to himself when Noiz’s voice rang beside his ear, even though he was too drown in pleasure to decipher what Noiz was speaking in German.

“Hey,” Noiz whispered shortly after he heard the knock on the door. “He’s asking what I think about launching an event in Midorijima. I said I wanted to ask you first. So…” Noiz intentionally thrust up, purposely aiming at the spot which was the most sensitive for Aoba and earning a stifled moan from him before he continued. “…what do you think?”

There was no way Aoba could give him a coherent answer and Noiz knew that. But it was exactly the response that Noiz wanted to see that had him bringing Aoba’s need to the next level. Not only that he was now giving him hard, pointed thrusts, he was also pinching on Aoba’s nipple, trailing wet kisses along Aoba’s jawline and whispering – _pushing_ – Aoba to answer him.

“He’s still waiting, you know.” His voice was filled with deep want and a hint of tease but all Aoba heard was a voice that sounded like nothing but aphrodisiac. “…I wonder what they would think if they ever see you like this?”

“Yes, Midoriji—it’s good.” That was all that he could say before he buried his head into Noiz’s shoulder, visibly suppressing his moans.

“Is it really good?” Noiz asked. “It’s a five million dollar project, Aoba. It’s _your_ project.”

“Yes, yes!” Aoba murmured into Noiz’s shoulder, unceasingly moving his hips to take Noiz in deeper at the same time. “It’s—it’s good!”

Noiz’s smirk was loud in his ear, so were the grip on his waist and the thrusts he gave him right after he heard his answer.

“Got it.”

He wasn't sure if it was the effect of the alcohol or the fact that they were having sex in the office, in Noiz’s room, with someone – an _important business partner_ – right outside the door that was alluring Aoba so much. He might hear them, someone might walked into them. The composure and confidence he’d portrayed earlier that day would be crushed into dust. All his effort would go down the drain.

But regardless, when he bit into Noiz’s shoulder, eliciting a moan out of Noiz, Aoba found himself couldn't care less about those anymore. He was so filled to the brim, their sweat-slicked skins pressing against each other, their mouths all over each other and he felt so _hot_ that he was sure that they’d melt into each other just like how the chocolate melted on their tongues if they weren't made of flesh.

He didn't know what happened to the person outside the door; he didn't know if he actually heard them. But he knew Noiz’s was rubbing him raw inside when he filled his already burning inside with his hot cum, shortly after Aoba’s own release spurted on Noiz’s chest, dirtying his clean and sleek suit in the process.

And he also knew that it was just the starting of their day.

Because Valentine’s doesn't end at 6.00 p.m. in the evening.

 

_To be continued..._

 


	2. Drunk in Love [Noiz x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt #2** : Drunk Sex
> 
> Sometimes honesty is hard to come by; but when it happens, it's hard to be stopped.

**Part 2: Drunk In Love**

 

For a long time, they merely leaned against each other; Aoba’s hair was in a mess now, escaped locks scattering as he rested his head on Noiz’s shoulder, who was playing with the tips of his hair. Noiz was still buried deep inside him, and one slight movement triggered a nerve wrecking electricity shock all the way down his spine. It was only when usagimodoki bounced up the table and alerted them of the time that Noiz carefully guided Aoba up and pulled himself out of him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, caressing Aoba’s flushed cheekbones.

“…fine,” Aoba muttered, still trying to balance his breathing as he gave out small moans when he felt Noiz’s piercings dragging along his inner walls.

“Ah, it's coming out,” Aoba quickly settled himself back on Noiz’s dick, looking around for something that could help him clean his mess up. Noiz merely gave him an amused smirk. While Aoba was trying to reach out to the nearest tissue box, Noiz grasped on his hips, pushing him down so that he was buried even deeper into Aoba.

“Woa—ah! What are you doing?!” Aoba shrieked, the sudden wash of ecstasy giving him stars in the head.

“It's cute that you decided to take me back in when you could’ve just remove it and then wipe it later,” Noiz commented, still with the grin on his face. Pouting, Aoba smacked the tissue box on his head before he pulled out one of the pieces and led it towards his back.

“I've dirtied your suit, I don’t want to dirty your pants as well,” he said, albeit knowing how weak an excuse that was. Slowly lifting himself up, he slid Noiz out of him, feeling cum dripping out of him before he quickly wiped it off with before it could land on Noiz’s pants.

“That’s kind of erotic,” Noiz said with a mischievous grin. Taking one of the tissues out of the box, he wiped the sweat off Aoba’s forehead, kissing him on his cheek before Aoba left him shortly. Giving Noiz a pout, Aoba threw the used tissue away, grabbed another one and squeezed it on Noiz’s dick, earning an instant moan out of him.

“What happened to your plan? You don’t’ plan to stay here for the rest of the night, do you?” Aoba scowled.

“I wouldn't mind, to be honest.”

“I would. Now get up and get yourself cleaned.”

“Says the one who dirtied me.”

“You—“

Before Aoba could throw him a retort, Noiz quickly pulled him over for a kiss before he stood up, shutting Aoba up effectively.

“I've got a new set of suit prepared for us, so stop worrying about that,” Noiz said as he walked towards the washroom while Aoba stared at his disappearing back.

“You really have everything planned out, huh?” That shouldn't come as a surprise, but Aoba felt like saying it just for the sake of teasing Noiz, or complimenting him, whichever worked.

“It’s nothing much,” Noiz replied from the washroom. “Are you coming in?”

Noiz’s pace was dangerous. Aoba seemed to be dragged into his pace every time without him realizing it; and when he finally did, Noiz already had everything all planned out, there wasn't anything much that he could do from then on.

But soon, he realized that there was, in fact, _something_ that he could do.

 

***

 

Exactly a year ago, he’d never thought of the implication behind this Valentine’s thing. It was when he traveled across the ocean to this foreign land that he found himself being immensely interested with this foreign idea. Back in Midorijima, expressing thanks was something they were very used to doing. They didn't need any specific dates to emphasize on their appreciation; because it was part of their culture that made them felt as if it wasn't something too special after all, that it was just something so natural that it would've come without saying.

Hence, when Aoba first faced with Noiz’s lack of response, he sometimes thought perhaps he didn't do enough, or perhaps Noiz wasn't a person with a lot of expressions to begin with that had urged him to feel that he might not be able to express appreciation as well as how Aoba used to do back home.

 

As they walked hand-in-hand down the German streets, Aoba couldn't help but glance around the space, the sight of happy couples lifted his mood a bit, especially helping when he had been pressured by this invisible force from work for weeks. Noiz had indeed, like he said, prepared a new set of suit for them; they were neat, definitely high-class, and it gave out a sense of superior even when they were walking down the streets.

“I bet you've prepared some high-class restaurant for dinner again this time,” Aoba sent a sharp sideway glare at Noiz’s direction.

“I wanted to share with you some of our best food,” Noiz said dismissively. As they turned around the corner, Aoba let out a sigh.

“I still remember the last time you brought me to this nice restaurant in town.”

“Ah, you mean the time when you first arrived here?” Noiz asked after a two-second pause. “No good?”

“That’s not it…” Aoba’s words turned small at the end. “Maybe because I still hadn't gotten used to the luxurious lifestyle people here are so used to, I was a bit overwhelmed at that time. Ren told me the same thing!”

“Hmm,” Noiz supported his chin with his hand, seemingly thinking about something before he started. “Do you want to change a place for tonight?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s not that!” Aoba quickly clarified. “I’m fine now. I was just reminded about how it was I first came here. Speaking of which, it has been almost a year, huh? Time sure flies.”

Noiz fell silent, and Aoba only looked at him when he heard the familiar smile that he could easily miss if he was to be distracted even for a second.

“Yeah, time sure flies.”

If his intuition was doing the right thing, then Noiz must be sharing the same line of thought as he was.

 

Another five minutes’ walk led them to the front of a tall yet expensive-looking restaurant. As soon as they saw Noiz, one of the waiters immediately walked forward to help them carry their bags while the other led them into the place.

He’d need to get used to this extravagance. But he had time, Noiz told him so. And there was no need to rush for him, for _them_. Even so… although the place was filled with people, it was blanketed in a silent atmosphere that made Aoba feel like it was almost sinful to speak a little bit too loud. Similar to how he’d stood and gaped at the scene in front of him when he first saw Noiz’s parents house, he stared around the place, waiting for reality to sink into him before Noiz waved a hand in front of him.

“C’mon, I got us a private lounge.”

He thought he had the rights to move on his own pace now. But Noiz was faster to act, at least faster than the way his mind acted and before he knew it, his hand was in Noiz’s as they followed the same waiter who’d led them in to the end of the room.

The room was almost secluded, located at a far corner of the space, and when the waiter closed the door and left them alone, Aoba looked around while Noiz stared interestedly at him.

“Wh-what?” Aoba gave him an almost similar stare the moment he noticed the way Noiz had been staring at him.

“It’s always interesting to see you act so amused like that,” Noiz confessed. While he stood up to tamper with something Aoba couldn't see, Aoba crossed his legs and his arms, visibly unamused.

“Well, sorry I’m so new to all these things.” Wasn't this familiar? He practically lost count on exactly how many times they had carried out this exact same conversation. Noiz didn't seem to slow down his initiatives either; ever since he noticed how little Aoba knew about this other side of the world – a world that was so very different from the world he used to know – he couldn't help but wanting to pamper him a bit more, in a physical and emotional sense, and the best way was perhaps to _show_ Aoba precisely what was so astounding about these things, or rather, experiences.

It sometimes made him laugh; because Aoba was the one who told him that he’d showed Noiz more about this world, but it seemed like both of them had a lot to catch up as well.

“You’ll get used to this soon,” Noiz said, but he was obviously distracted by something else, Aoba could tell as much from his tone of voice. Curious, he shifted his head, trying to catch a glimpse of what Noiz was fiddling with when he found his words stuck in his own throat before being able to properly roll them out.

“What are you—“

There was a clicking sound, then the once dimly lit room was suddenly brightening up, not too much, but just enough to make out the beautiful silhouette of Noiz’s features when he turned around to face the source of light.

It took a while, but when Aoba finally found his words, he found himself unable to remove his gaze away from the magnificent scene in front of him.

He remembered them taking the lift, but he couldn't remember exactly how many floors they had ascended to. And he was grateful he didn't because then, he wouldn't be so amazed by how _high_ up they were now.

“This is amazing,” he muttered, inching closer to the window, his eyes still glued to the beautiful night view now completely exposed right in front of him, without any hindrance as how it was from before.

“Reminds you of something?” Noiz had come closer to him, joining him to admire the view as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, not really,” Aoba purposely commented, instantly earning a small smile out of Noiz before he leaned against his boyfriend’s body. “This is really beautiful.”

“I thought so, too,” Noiz agreed. “I wanted to show you the whole of the city. This place is not too far from our place either. You see that building over there?” Pointing to a tall building a short distance away from where they were, Noiz said. “That’s our apartment.”

“And that,” Aoba continued, grasping on Noiz’s wrist – the one which was pointing on the building – and guiding it to a spot not far away from their apartment. “…is the zoo.”

Noiz nodded. The zoo was practically easier to spot thanks to its exceptional design but Noiz knew that wasn't the reason why Aoba had pointed it out. That particular place had been playing the role as Noiz’s safe nest ever since he was a kid, a place which was taken over by their apartment now, and by Aoba, who was physically so close to him that sometimes it still felt like a dream.

For some reason, a reason which Noiz knew very well but had yet to clarify with Aoba, Aoba seemed to have grown fonder towards that very zoo as well. Perhaps it was an adoration stemmed from appreciation – even though it wasn't a person, not even a living thing, the zoo had undeniably saved Noiz from his once fragile heart. The fact that Aoba had always wanted to do exactly that same thing was probably the reason why this specific place had planted such a great impression in him.

“We’ll go there together one day, okay?” Aoba continued, noticing that the silence had been stretched for a bit too long.

“We've been there before.”

“Not inside,” Aoba retorted. And in that instance, Noiz knew that his speculation had been right after all.

Holding Aoba firmer, Noiz nodded.

“Sure. One day.”

Aoba was about to say something but a knock echoed from the door at the very moment he opened his mouth and the same waiter came in with a tray of appetizer and a bottle of red wine.

“Again?” The word slipped out of his mouth before he could even stop it. “Are you doing this on purpose?”

“If you get drunk, I’ll carry you home,” Noiz smirked, seemingly unconcerned towards the frown Aoba was directing at him now. “Just let loose tonight. I want to spend the night with you without any restraint.”

Noiz understood him too well; it was the reason why he’d become so shameless at times that had him bury his face in his hands whenever he was reminded of all the embarrassing things he’d say on his own will during their many lovemaking sessions.

“You’ll regret this,” he said, a final attempt to persuade Noiz to give up as he slumped on the couch, eyes fixed on the food instead. “What are these?”

“This is [_Aufschnitt platte_](http://www.fleischerei-magdeburg.de/images/partyservice/rustikale-aufschnitt-platte.jpg), and this,” Noiz pointed at to another dish which looked familiarly like potatoes. “…is [_Kartoffelknodel_](http://www.schuhbecks-video-kochschule.de/archive/image/recipe/schuhbecks_video_kochschule/recipe_kartoffelknoedel_halb_und_halb.jpg).”

“So in other words, they are meat and potatoes?” Aoba hold his chin with his hand, still staring feverishly at the servings.

Noiz let out a small hum.

“I guess you can say so.”

While Aoba helped himself with the food, eyes brightening the moment the taste spread in his mouth, Noiz opened the wine and poured some for both of them.

“This is nice!” Aoba exclaimed, urging Noiz to turn around before he found a piece of meat making its way to his mouth. “Try it!”

He took in without a second thought.

“How is it?” Aoba was staring excitedly at him.

“…nice.”

“Right?”

Noiz never knew what the right word to describe it was but whenever Aoba got so amused with simple, little things like these, there was this indescribable warmth that squeezed his insides tight, causing the corners of his lips to curve up even without him knowing. Before Aoba could proceed to savor more food, he nudged on his arm, hinting him for attention as he pushed one of the wine glasses into his hand.

“A toast?” The charismatic smile he gave Aoba was so blindingly powerful that Aoba could literally feel his heart skip a beat.

“Sure.” But he raised his wine glass regardless, elegantly producing a soft clunking sound before he took the drink in one shot.

“You’re quite the aggressive type, aren't you?” Noiz teased him, taking in his wine slowly. “I thought you’re afraid of getting drunk.”

“You said you would carry me back.”

Noiz quirked an interested eyebrow.

“I would.”

And when Aoba flashed him the similar smirk he’d just gave him, he knew that they’d achieved a mutual agreement.

 

It didn't need too long for him to realize how dangerous a situation he’d lured both of them in either. It was the small hiccups Aoba gave that had instantly triggered that alarm in him. It was dangerously cute, and treacherously _alluring_. He’d never heard it from Aoba before and it could easily be the cutest thing he’d ever heard in his entire life.

But what broke his endurance wall was when Aoba went limp on him, playing with his fingers and giving out small giggles that caused him to swallow hard, finding it tough to even contain himself any longer. He was hot himself, literally. The wine properly doing its job right after they were done with their main course, the dessert – a pair of Marzipan - laying abandoned on the table. How many glasses of wine had they drank? Four? Five? He could no longer remember. But the burn in his nerves told him that they’d drank _a lot_ , and the ‘a lot’ meant that it was far over Aoba’s tolerance level. He was even surprised to know that he was still conscious enough to realize how dangerously _turned on_ he was now with every actions Aoba was doing to him, suggestive or not.

He’d love to take Aoba here, right now, right at this second. But this wasn't the right place, not the right atmosphere.

“Aoba,” he called out. He didn't even know why his voice was hoarse. There was a weird burning sensation in his throat when he spoke and he knew that it was all alcohol’s doing; that must have contributed to the scorching feeling traveling throughout his entire body as well.

Loosening his tie, he straightened Aoba up slightly, almost breaking a nerve when he saw how flushed and how hazy Aoba’s eyes were when he set eyes on them.

“Let’s go home?” he said. It wasn't even a suggestion, but a statement. And he knew that Aoba would nod to everything he said now considering how low his conscious was.

 

He almost needed to carry Aoba bridal style into their apartment. Completely ignoring the need to on the lights, he led them straight into his bedroom, where Aoba threw his weight on the bed and sprawled across it.

“I should keep a tighter eye on you now that I know how you act like when you’re drunk,” Noiz said, albeit knowing that his own situation wasn't any better than Aoba’s. He wasn't one who would get drunk as easily as Aoba; but the alcohol level obviously got to him this time – he let his guard down – but it wasn't anything bad either. Now that they were in the comfort of their own house, there wasn't any need to be too cautious anymore.

“Noiz…”

He took off his jacket, placed it on the couch, and was about to take his tie off when Aoba’s soft yet hoarse voice stopped all his actions. As if Aoba was a magnet specifically for him, he strode straight towards him as he settled by his side, laying sideway and taking Aoba’s hand in his.

“You called?”

“…love you…” Aoba muttered. It took a few seconds but when the two words properly made their way into Noiz’s ears, then rolling straight into his heart, he smiled, grasping Aoba’s hand a bit firmer before he leaned in to give him a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Love you too.”

As if those simple words were a wakeup call for Aoba, Aoba opened his eyes soon after, blinking a few times before he turned slightly to meet Noiz’s eyes.

“Where are we?”

“Home.”

Aoba sat up, immediately bringing his hand up to hold his head, the ache starting to build in him.

“You really carried me home, huh?” he sent a smirk at Noiz’s direction, who shrugged.

“Almost. How are you feeling?”

“Heavy,” Aoba said, completely honest.

“You need water? I can—“

“It’s fine,” Aoba interrupted, reaching out to stop Noiz by grasping onto his wrist before he could even sit up. “Stay here.”

Noiz obeyed without any further question. When Aoba opened his arms, hinting him to come over, he settled himself into Aoba’s embrace, feeling Aoba pinching on the tips of his hair before he leaned his head against Aoba’s neck and kissing softly on it.

Aoba giggled, and Noiz felt himself shudder out of reflex.

“Tickles.”

It must be the alcohol’s doing, or perhaps it was the fact that both of them had acknowledged that today was a special day – a day for them to let their guards down – that had them yearning for each other so much more than usual. There didn't seem to be a need for more words either; when Noiz looked up at Aoba, Aoba caught his message loud and clear, immediately leaning downwards to meet Noiz’s mouth. Noiz was glad that he had taken off his jacket earlier, the heat was too overwhelming and he found himself sweating before they could barely start. Judging on the rough breathing Aoba was giving out now, he figured that their sensations were mutual at this very moment so he proceeded to stripe Aoba off his jacket, managed to settle it next to them before he returned his desperate need with a hungry kiss of his own. They were hungrily ravaging each other’s mouth, reaching out to every part they could reach – their mouths, their teeth, their tongue tangling and tasting each other as their head got overclouded with a thicker mist of want. It wasn't the usual tender, soft kiss they were so used to giving each other; this time, it was rough, almost painful, but _amazingly_ good at the same time. The strong taste of alcohol lingered on their tongues when they separated their kiss, a thin string of saliva connecting their lips. And when they set eyes on each other, they could literally feel the searing _want_ burning through their eyes, the heat traveling down their very nerves and amplifying the tension more than it already was.

Before he knew it, Noiz found his hands unbuttoning Aoba’s shirt, striping it out of the way before he did the same to his. Aoba continued clinging to him all the while he did that. He wanted to continue kissing Noiz – wherever he could reach – but Noiz was two inches too far and he ended up being unable to do anything but wrapping his hands around Noiz’s necks and trying to pull him closer.

“Noiz,” Aoba called out. “Hurry up.”

Noiz hitched a breath, his actions staggered before he quickly unfastened his pants and helping Aoba to get out of his as well.

When he dived his mouth back down to devour a whole of Aoba’s neck, Aoba gave out an addictively _sweet_ moan that had Noiz quiver out of reflex. He wanted to say something, to tease Aoba more so that he could hear Aoba giving out more of those dangerous sounds but his mouth was too occupied with the sweetness of Aoba’s skin, mixed with saltiness that was Aoba’s sweat, and all he wanted now was to taste more, and more of Aoba that and he never wanted to stop kissing Aoba like this.

With literally no space in between their bodies, Aoba grinded down on Noiz, his hands pulling on Noiz’s hair and Noiz felt a sharp tinge of pain, only releasing his mouth from Aoba’s skin to give out a choked moan. Aoba knew that Noiz loved a little bit of pain; but this time, it seemed that he had done it out of his own conscious and that he was at the verge of burning, of exploding that he _needed_ something to hold on to before he could crumble before Noiz’s very eyes.

And that _something_ was Noiz.

Thanks to this, Noiz could clearly feel how much Aoba wanted him, probably as much as how Noiz wanted him now. He couldn't wait for Noiz to do what he could do best; but above all, he simply wanted to _feel_ all the raw emotions and raw passion Noiz was about to give him. They were contagious, but not only that, they were also infectiously gratifying.

Aoba’s desperate kisses on his body now was distractingly pleasurable. Was it because of the alcohol? Noiz wondered. Because usually, Aoba would allow Noiz to do the job, the most he’d go was to tell Noiz exactly what he wanted and Noiz would never disappoint him. But now, it seemed like he’d decided to play his own game. Noiz could feel every one of Aoba's sucks, the wet tongue he felt on his skin made him shiver and when Aoba closed his arms around him, his intention to suppress his shudder failed miserably when he found himself catching both of Aoba’s wrists and pinning him down against the bed.

Their eyes only met for two seconds before Noiz – still grasping Aoba’s wrists firmly on top of his head – caught him in yet another feverish kiss. The kiss this time was no less rough than the last. He didn't even give Aoba any time to breathe, only separated for less than five seconds before he was devouring his mouth again. Aoba was literally panting into his mouth, his hands struggled against Noiz’s firm grasp and his moans turned louder and louder with every passing second.

It was until both of them were almost out of breath that Noiz pulled their distance apart.

“Tell me how you want it,” Noiz said between pants. Then, he leaned closer, practically whispering hot air into Aoba’s sensitive ear. “You know I’ll do everything you ask me to. You just need to _tell_ me.”

Tremors were running through Aoba’s spine. Noiz’s voice was one of the many weaknesses of his especially during such an intense lovemaking session like this. He would tell Noiz how he wanted it, he was _desperate_ to tell Noiz. But instead, he threw a smirk at Noiz’s direction, clawing his nails into the skin of Noiz’s hands before he said,

“How about _you_ tell me what you want to do to me?” As if mimicking Noiz’s action, he tried sitting up slightly, pulling their faces so close to each other their noses were merely inches apart. “I’ll let you do whatever you want. And in return, I’ll tell you how I want it.”

Noiz was only momentarily distracted before he lifted Aoba’s chin up with his free hand, staring sharply into his eyes as he replied,

“Alcohol really does things to you. I really need to be careful with you from now on.”

“As if it’s not doing anything to you as well,” Aoba retorted with the same smirk he’d given Noiz earlier. He lifted his knee up, hitting directly at Noiz’s now completely hard erection before he languidly rubbed on it. “You want me as much as I do.”

“Of course I do,” Noiz said with a choked voice. Now that Aoba had triggered that fire within him, there was no way he could hold himself back any further. “I want you so much.”

His voice turned small at the end. Grasping Aoba’s chin slightly tighter, he whispered, unable to control the small hitch of breath that had slipped past his lips when he continued speaking.

“I want to feel everything of you – every inch of your skin, inside of you; I want to hear how you lose yourself when I’m buried deep inside of you.”

“Do it,” Aoba quickly said, without waiting for Noiz to finish his words. “I want you in me now. Do it, Noiz.”

Even without Scrap, Aoba was perfectly capable of _controlling_ Noiz with his voice. As if the voice was a curse of its own, the repeated words acted like a strong push – pushing Noiz right towards his limit.

He was almost grateful that their lovemaking earlier meant that Aoba was almost prepared for another round of intense sex and when he pushed two fingers easily into Aoba, the loud moan Aoba let out told him that he was right after all.

“Seems like you’re still loose from before,” he commented briefly, pulling his fingers out just to push them back in as deep as he could again. “You see, you are getting so used to me now, your insides might have just adapted into the shape of my fingers and my dick.”

Aoba was either unable to respond, or he was just too drown in pleasure to form coherent words that all he did was clung onto Noiz’s neck, desperately waiting for Noiz to finish preparing him and almost bit into Noiz’s shoulder when he felt the head of Noiz’s dick pressing against his hole.

“Ready?” Noiz asked, his voice husky and filled with deep want.

Aoba nodded. When Noiz slipped effortlessly into him, this time, he managed to bit down on Noiz’s shoulder, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to earn another loud moan out of Noiz.

They were sweating a lot now, a lot more than usual, and their bodies were slippery, their sweat-slicked skin rubbing against each other as Noiz started to pull out and push into him, again and again. Aoba closed his eyes, no longer able to contain the burn in and out of him, even his tears were burning behind his eyelids, threatening to fall any second now.

He was flooded with pleasure, his nervous system was shouting out in ecstasy. When Noiz hit directly on his prostate, he let out a voice that sounded so very unlike himself and that moment he let slip that very sinful sound, he could literally feel Noiz harden inside of him.

“You are burning me,” Noiz said with a smirk. “You are warmer than usual inside.” It was definitely the alcohol that had contributed to not only this, but also to how upfront Aoba and how loud Aoba could be now. It amazed and gratified Noiz at the same time.

“Noiz…” Aoba called out in between pants. “Look at me.”

Noiz obeyed without a second thought. Aoba cupped his face, still feeling Noiz pointed and hard thrusts in him when he gave him a smile.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he said.

Noiz returned his smile, his thrusts became slower only to pick up speed in the next minute.

“Go ahead.”

Drawn to his skin like magnet, Aoba plunged forward, biting hard on Noiz’s bottom lip, feeling Noiz shudder in his embrace before he sucked on his tongue and ultimately engulfed him into a heated kiss.

It was hot and it was so wet that he wasn't sure if he was tasting saliva or sweat anymore. All he knew was that Noiz tasted so good in his mouth and that he wanted to continue hugging him, kissing him like this and feeling that intense sense of _life_ that was so pleasurable at this very second.

He continued sucking and sucking, and Noiz returned his fervor with his continuous thrusts and then, his muscles clenched as he came suddenly, moaning loudly into Noiz’s mouth as he felt cum spurting onto their abdomens, the intense heat he felt inside him told him that Noiz had come at about the same time. The orgasm was so strong that he almost lost his consciousness; and by the way Noiz collapsed on top of him, his dick still inside him, eyes closed and breathing heavy, Aoba knew that the intensity had almost consumed him as well.

Even after that, they were still connected in the most intimate way possible – hugging each other in their arms, bodies hot and still wet with their body fluid with their warm breath hitting on each other’s skins.

And even so, Aoba could still feel the way Noiz was lovingly touching him in his sleep, clinging onto him as if his life depended on it.

 

*** 

 

The next day was horrible.

He’d forgotten when the last time he’d experienced such a horrible hangover was. As he sat up on the bed, massaging his temples with his thumbs, Noiz walked over to give him a glass of water.

“Are you okay?” he asked, settling himself beside Aoba and draining his own glass of water down his throat.

“You’re lucky that it’s a weekend today,” Aoba scowled.

“Even if it’s not, I could still take a day off.”

He was right, as usual. As soon as Aoba finished his water, he laid back on the bed, pulling the sheets up to cover more than half of his face and rolling to his side.

“Going back to sleep?” Noiz asked, and Aoba could feel his head on his arm.

“It’s not like I can do anything else anyway.”

“That’s true.”

Sure, Valentine’s was over and that the intensity of their lovemaking the previous night had proven to Aoba that it wasn't a Valentine’s he’d forget so soon. As he turned around to peek on Noiz, who was leaning his head against the bed head with his Coil on, he pouted, scurried closer towards him and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek, immediately earning himself a startled look from the latter.

“Forgot to tell you this – Happy belated Valentine’s,” he paused, turning over to face the other side before he whispered. “And.. I love you. Also, what you told your partners from before...”

Aoba paused, feeling the heat rising to his face before he coughed softly.

"...thank you."

For a few seconds, he could hear nothing but the tickling of the clock in the room; then, he felt a weight on him, then a kiss on the cheek.

“You said it already, but I don’t mind listening to it again,” Noiz teased him. “I love you too. Thank you for spending Valentine’s with me. And...” Leaning forward to give Aoba another kiss, Noiz continued. "I'm just stating the truth and I'm proud to say it, I'm proud of you."

It was probably one of the most assuring words Noiz had told him ever since he moved to Germany with him.

And judging by the way Noiz had said it, Aoba was almost sure that the following Valentine’s that they were sure to celebrate together would take them into a whole new level.

As of how far that said level was to be, Aoba wouldn't want to know nor speculate yet. Because he knew that Noiz would always know what was the best thing to do – and he’d love to be the one being surprised and surprising him at the same time.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From previous part: “Das ist mein Lebensgefährte.” = "He is my lover." (in this fic's context).  
> Next up: Valentine's - A Microscopic View of Parenthood [Noiz x Aoba]


	3. Love: Life [Noiz x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's is only meaningful if one is to spend time with your loved ones.  
> So is life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt #3: Family**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> A fic written for [Sarah](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ceasefire) uvu Your family NoiAo is still extremely precious for me, thank you for suggesting this. I hope you liked it <33
> 
> I have a family series for NoiAo in plan but it wouldn't be up so soon so in the meantime, please enjoy this preview I have worked out for this series.
> 
> It can definitely be a stand-alone fic of its own. It's also a new style I'm attempting, in which I adapted a POV which isn't Noiz or Aoba even though it's a NoiAo fic. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you would enjoy reading it as well <33

The statement hit him out of nowhere; it wasn't something he could forget just like that because the mere idea was so enticing that there was no way he could let it out of his head so easily. The thought of _owning_ something, to _belong_ to something with Aoba was a thought that had never occurred to him – not until Aoba finally brought it up. Aoba didn't blurt it out intentionally either. It was just something that had occurred to him and that impression of Noiz – of both of them – being parents was something that was once so far-fetched that he didn't even dare to think about it.

But with Noiz, anything was possible; and even if it wasn't, he wanted to be the one to make it possible.

When Aoba brought the suggestion up the next time, Noiz sank into his own thoughts. Despite teasing Aoba on it the previous time Aoba had mindlessly thrown it out at him, he’d started to take the once joke seriously this time as he stared into space, with Aoba looking anxiously at him from the side.

“Do you think we can manage one?” Aoba asked. If they were serious about it, they might as well do it right.

“I think we’re more than capable of raising one, at least financially.”

That went without saying. But Aoba could clearly hear the insecurity in Noiz’s voice as he reached out to pat him on the head.

“It’s going to be fine,” Aoba said. And when Noiz wrapped him firmly in his arms, he knew that Noiz had noticed how insecure he felt as well.

 

It wasn't just about raising another child – for both Noiz and Aoba, it was a whole new challenge altogether, what with Aoba’s unresolved Scrap and Noiz’s once disability. It was about responsibility; and of serious thinking. They were sure that they’d raise the child no matter how he or she turned out to be. The child would definitely be the world to them. But above all, the whole reason why Aoba had suggested it was because of the fact that he had noticed how much Noiz had missed in his life – he deserved a family; a family who he truly loved, and a family who genuinely loved him in return. He also deserved to experience the childhood – the times and memories – he’d lost.

With a child – with a real family – he’d be able to finally experience what he deserved.

That was the whole reason why Aoba wanted to do exactly that for him, and he was sure that Noiz shared his line of thoughts as well. Because Noiz was just like that – he always put Aoba before himself, he’d never considered of how much he himself deserved. Simply because he’d noticed this tendency of his boyfriend that had strengthened Aoba’s determination to hold the responsibility of taking care of his needs in his place.

That was the whole reason he was here; in Germany, with Noiz anyway.

The moment of reality was scarily surreal. The first time Aoba held their newborn son in his hands, and when the baby opened his eyes to look into his, he was instantly attacked by a surge of warmth in his chest. For a moment, he thought he was looking at a miniature Noiz, if not because of his son’s golden orbs that represented greatly of his own. When he kissed his son on the forehead, feeling his son moved slightly in his hands out of reflex, he needed to close his eyes tighter to suppress the irresistible urge to cry. The overwhelming emotions within him were incredibly complicated. It wasn't only the fact that he was holding something so exceptionally _precious_ in his hands that was making him hard to breathe, it was also the fact that he’d never gotten the chance to witness the growth of anyone dear to him that was threatening tears to break through his endurance limit.

For Aoba, it was a new beginning – it wasn't just giving meaning to another’s life; but it was also yet another discovery process he’d experience with not only Noiz, but also his newborn son.

Their first few years of raising their son were challenge-filled. They needed help from Tae, even made their way back to Midorijima just to ensure that they were doing everything right. But Tae proved them otherwise; it was impossible to do _everything_ right. Parenthood was a trial and error process and, like it or not, they’d be faced with wrongs and frustrations and that were exactly what would make this process extremely treasurable. They ended up having sleepless nights, having some of their nerves at the verge of breaking; but at the same time, they’d experienced bliss when the baby first called their names, when their son started to walk, and when their son smiled at them, there was this unbelievable emotion in them that made them feel as if they were in a dream – because sometimes, what they saw was not their son, but themselves in him.

It was incredible – the sight, the sound of their son’s first voice, and the process of watching him grow. It was like catching up with their lost youth and at that instance, they knew that they’d made the right decision after all.

 

Bringing someone new and above all, _important_ , into their life wasn't something easy. Aoba and Noiz discovered that much on the fifth year of parenthood, but they weren't going to dismiss the fact that having this new person in their life had given them so much happiness and new discoveries that they probably wouldn't be able to experience if it wasn't for their son’s existence.

“Your turn today,” Aoba pinched Noiz on the nose and smiled naughtily at him before he pulled a few tissues out of the tissue box to wipe the semen off his abdomen. “I’m exhausted.”

As soon as Aoba rolled to the side and settled comfortably under the sheets, Noiz smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he put on pants and paced out of the bedroom, topless.

When he opened the door to his son’s room, the five-year-old was playing, occasionally talking with usagimodoki (who replied with a high-pitched yet happy voice just to draw a smile on the other’s face), and only putting it down when Noiz closed the door behind him.

 His son reminded them of themselves; they already had the impression ever since he was born but across the years, as his features became more apparent, Noiz couldn't help but hitch a breath when his son flashed him a smile that reminded him greatly of Aoba. But that wasn't all; his hair was a great representation of Aoba as well. The angle of spikes were an apparent inheritance from Aoba, and if they were to grow, Noiz was sure that he’d look exactly like a duplicate of Aoba, even though the strawberry blond color of his hair reminded Noiz dearly of himself. But above all, when his son stared eagerly at Noiz, his golden-colored orbs made Noiz feel as if he was looking at a younger version of Aoba more than anything else.

“Why aren't you asleep yet?” he asked. Taking the cube out of his son’s hand, he settled it at one side while the five-year-old scrambled under the sheets, pulling it up to cover his chin and grinning cheekily at Noiz.

“I’m waiting for you!” he said. Returning his smile, Noiz proceeded to kiss him on the forehead before he joined him under the sheets. As soon as he did that, the younger one cuddled into his chest, small hands pressing against it before he glanced up and smiled brightly at Noiz.

“Your heart is beating so fast, did you go for a run?”

Noiz couldn't help but smile. Taking his son’s hand off his chest, he patted him on his head, pulling him closer so that he could hug the whole of his small body into his arms.

“Do you want a bedtime story?” Noiz asked, without answering the son’s question. He was probably ten years too early for what Noiz intended to say and he was sure that Aoba wouldn't be happy if he really did answer him after all.

“Is it a story about you and papa?” The five-year-old reached out to Noiz’s waist, attempting to hug him like how Noiz did but failing miserably.

“You aren't bored with that yet?” Noiz teased him. He’d forgotten exactly how many times he had told his and Aoba’s story to his son and yet, every time when he talked about it, there was this anticipation in his son’s eyes that lifted a stone off his chest. He wasn't a good storyteller, he was never expressive; but yet, he wanted his son to know how grateful he was to have everything he had now – Aoba, and on top of all, this very small yet precious existence that were both physically so close to him now.

“It’s a nice story!” the son answered, which left Noiz thinking. He didn't know how crashing into his now husband’s house, almost breaking his arm and threatening him into a Rhyme match could sound so ‘nice’ to a young child. When he brought this up to Aoba, Aoba merely stared at him for a full ten seconds before he burst out laughing, leaving Noiz to glare at him with a mix of confusion and frustration in his expression.

“You know, Theo told me about this before,” Aoba had said soon after he comforted his annoyed husband. “That when you, well..” he looked away, a tiny hint of flush on his cheeks as he coughed softly. “..talk about me, you always have this very relaxed and happy air around you. I guess that’s how our son noticed it as well.” Then, he returned his gaze at Noiz, the blush still apparent but what grabbed Noiz’s attention was the huge grin Aoba was giving him now. “You need to do that more often.”

He knew Aoba wasn't referring to talking about him, literally. But he was telling Noiz to do things that made him happy more often.

And he was doing exactly that now. Aoba probably knew about it, because then he wouldn't insist Noiz to tuck their son in more often than himself.

“I want to have a story like that too!” his son had said when he finished the story up to the point where him and Aoba got married.

“You will, one day,” Noiz said, pinching on the soft cheeks of his son and almost got into a tickle fight with him when he heard the sound of door opening.

“It’s almost midnight and you’re still not asleep,” Aoba scowled as he peeked through the door gap.

“Come join us,” Noiz said, waving his hand and making space for Aoba.

“Papa!”

It was probably something extremely normal for anyone else; but for Aoba, the scene in front of him was something irreplaceable, something that only could be achieved with people he shared mutual love with – his son opening his arms, clearly asking for a hug and Noiz, his husband, giving him a smile so genuine that almost made him think that the brat from ten years back was an illusion.

But it wasn't true – he knew it wasn't. Noiz was here, the same as before, no matter how much he’d grow and change.

When they nestled under the sheets together, Aoba felt a warm sensation all over him, engulfing him from the inside out. He was still exhausted from being thoroughly wrapped in Noiz’s intense passion earlier, and when he woke up the next morning, he knew that he had fallen asleep earlier than anyone else. But thanks to that, he has gotten the chance to witness how adorable the two sleeping faces of the two persons he valued the most right beside him, and he wanted no more than to wake up like this for the rest of his life.

 

`[ **F I F T E E N** ]`

 

The bruise on his face stung. He’d wanted to hit them back but the moment he wanted to do exactly that, he was reminded of how he had landed himself into trouble the last time he did as he retreated, feeling the punches on his skin over and over again.

It wasn't his fault to begin with; he wondered why he didn't fight back.

He tried massaging one of the bruises and flinched at the instant pain. Clicking his tongue, he leaned against the wall, staring at the darkening sky in front of him before he took a quick look on his Coil.

It was 6:30 p.m. His father was probably extremely furious to find him missing after waiting for him in front of the school gate for almost two hours.

The thought of having _both_ of his fathers being mad at him scared him. Folding his legs and burying his face in between his knees, he sighed heavily, feeling the weight beneath his chest at the same time.

He didn't intend for things to turn out this way either. Before he knew it, he was running out of his high school, no longer able to sustain the frustration within him before he realized that he’d forgotten his bag in the class. This was the first time in years that he’d ran away from school since he started high school. He remembered how happy his parents were on his first day of school; how they had patted his shoulders and told him that he’d do great. He remembered how he promised them to try his best and to make them proud. _He promised_. Pulling on his hair, which was now slightly over his shoulder, he only stopped when he felt the twinge of pain on his head as he proceeded to mess up his own hair. Aoba had told him that he’d get him a haircut when they visited Midorijima the next time; but now, he wasn't sure if he even had the courage to face his parents, let alone boarding a plane.

He wanted to go home; but he didn't want to at the same time. He didn't know what to tell his parents, he didn't want them to know that he’d just done a hit and run.

He didn't want to be a disappointment.

“Your father is worried, you know?”

He looked up quickly, the alarm ringing in his ears. Noiz was standing right in front of him, two hands in the pockets of his slacks as he gave him an impassive stare.

“We’ve been searching for you for two whole hours,” his father continued.

He didn’t know what to say. Now that he had been caught before he could decide what to tell his parents, he was drown in a state of confusion, literally feeling the tips of his finger shiver when he averted his father’s eyes to stare at the end of the alley he was sitting in. He hadn’t been able to capture Noiz’s expression before he looked away; he was too terrified for it – he didn’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes.

When Noiz sat and slumped right next to him, dirtying his expensive slacks in the process, the urge to turn around and look at his father was so strong that he had to clench his hands into fists to sustain it.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Noiz asked, one of his legs folded as he rested the other on the knee, no longer looking at his son. “I know you do.”

“I…” he started. Noiz’s voice didn’t sound disappointed. He could barely make out the emotions behind his father’s voice anyway. Aoba had always commented that one would need specific techniques to figure out what exactly Noiz was feeling behind that stoic expression and almost emotionless voice.

“I’m not disappointed,” Noiz interrupted. “I just want to know what’s in your mind.”

Another thing his father had told him was that unless Noiz willingly told others about it, they’d never figure out what Noiz was thinking. And that initiative was rare. If Noiz was prepared to let his pride down to _understand_ him…

He felt a heavy weight lifted off his chest.

“I was threatened to cheat during a test today,” he confessed. “I refused to.”

He heard a smile; and this time, when he finally turned around to look at Noiz, he was surprised to see that his father was closing his eyes, seemingly thinking of something.

“I thought it would be something like that. Like father, like son, huh?”

“I remember how angry you and father were when I fought back last year,” he continued. “I don’t want you to get angry again. I..” he paused, feeling the words stuck in his own throat before he swallowed. “I don’t want to be a disappointment.”

Noiz was silent for a while and for a second, he thought his father was _really_ angry at him.

“We weren’t angry,” Noiz said nonchalantly. “We were just worried.”

He couldn’t understand what Noiz meant by that, but Noiz was quick to explain.

“It happened once before, between me and your father. When I was about your age, I often got into troubles, fighting with almost everyone just for the sake of it, just to tell the world, to tell everyone else that I’m strong and that I’m more than capable to survive by myself. You dad was very furious about that.”

Then, he gave out a sigh, accompanied by a smile right after.

“But later on, I realized that he wasn’t angry; he was worried. I could feel it when he insisted to treat my wounds, but I wasn’t sure what that was at first. I didn’t know what his intention was.”

He thought he’d heard this story before; it was a story that he had grown up with.

“He told me that fighting wasn’t the best way to solve problems. One thing would lead to another, and he was right. But,” Noiz purposely stopped to capture his son’s attention, which he succeeded. “Sometimes we just need to fight to protect ourselves.”

“And he’s right.”

It was another voice that sent shivers down his spine; a voice he was more than familiar with.

“We’re not unreasonable people,” the voice continued. He didn’t have the courage to face the source. “You won’t turn into a disappointment just because you fight for yourself.”

He felt a hand ruffling his hair. From the corner of his eyes, he saw his fathers nodding and smiling at each other. Noiz must have called Aoba the moment he found him.

“… I’m sorry,” he said, completely honest.

“It’s not your fault,” Aoba sat on his other side, slinging one hand over his shoulder and pulling him over in the process. “I spoke to your teacher. And this is what I think you should do.”

Defeated by his own curiosity, he turned to meet Aoba’s cheeky smile.

“You should beat the crap out of those people and tell them to work for what they want for themselves. I’m going to tell them exactly that if they are to touch my gifted son again.”

Seriously? he thought.

“Your father was a delinquent himself, you know,” Noiz said with obvious tease in his voice. “See how he turned out to be? You should take his advice.”

“As if _you_ weren’t a delinquent yourself,” Aoba tilted his head to scowl at Noiz.

Noiz gave out a smirk.

“That was how we survived.”

He can’t help but laugh.

“Both of you are setting a very bad example for your child.”

“But aren’t you proud of us?” Aoba said, reaching out to mess his son’s hair up even more.

“I am, I always am!”

“Now let me see your wound.” Releasing him, Aoba proceeded to check on the still bleeding cut on his face. “Ugh, looks painful.” There were hints of dried blood in his hair and Aoba squinted and frowned at it, muttering about tending to them when they got home.

He could feel Noiz smiling from behind him. He wasn’t sure why he was smiling though.

But he was sure that it wasn’t something bad, that this time, he had done the right thing.

 

` [ **T W E N T Y – T H R E E** ]`

 

 “Hmm, do you think this would work?”

“Should be fine.”

Aoba flipped through the document and scanned through the details for one last time before he put it aside.

“I guess we’re done then,” he said, stretching and giving out a loud grunt.

Noiz nodded, checking on the time.

“Let’s go back now. We have yet to pack for tomorrow.”

Aoba’s sigh made Noiz turn to look at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m just glad that we’re finally going back. We’ve been so busy with work that we barely even have time to call Granny.”

Standing up, Noiz walked towards Aoba, who was sitting on the couch and lifted his chin to kiss him tenderly on the lips.

“Thank you.”

“What’s this for?” Aoba asked, flustered by the sudden affection.

“For everything.” Releasing him, he helped him organize the remaining stuff before he continued. “I’m sure he’s excited to go back too.”

“Ah,” Aoba gave out a small smile. “Yeah, he’s been talking about it since a week ago. I think he would have a lot to share with Granny.”

“…and with _him_ as well.”

Aoba couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hey, hey,” he said, ruffling Noiz on the hair. “It’s been decades, let it go already.”

“I’m not holding a grudge or anything,” Noiz clarified.

“He helped us a lot.”

“And I appreciate it.”

Aoba knew well that Noiz appreciated it as much as he did; and he also knew that it was just a habit that he hadn’t been able to get rid of whenever they brought out the name. At one point in time, they were so overwhelmed with work that they had to request help from Tae, and eventually, Koujaku to keep an eye on their son. They still felt bad for the trouble but both Tae and Koujaku accepted the help without too many questions.

Until today, Aoba still remembered Tae’s expression when he saw her one-year-old great grandson; and Koujaku’s expression when he first saw him at six years old.

 

 

 

“We’re back!”

Midorijima was almost the same as how it was when they first left. The streets were definitely livelier now. If they were to point out the differences, the main one would probably be themselves. But even so, no matter how many times they opened the door to Aoba’s former home, both Noiz and Aoba would _always_ be struck by a sudden sense of nostalgia. The place barely changed, everything was still in place – as how Aoba remembered them to be.

“Welcome back!”

Koujaku only missed perhaps two or three times out of most of the times they’d come back for their visits. Aoba was sure to inform Koujaku when he returned ever since Koujaku had pestered him to do so and he was a pleasant addition to the room’s atmosphere whenever they stepped into the house like this.

“You’re here early,” Aoba commented. “Granny, I’m home!”

“I can hear you!” A sound echoed from the kitchen, evoking a bitter smile out of Aoba.

“She’s busy preparing for dinner,” Koujaku said defiantly. “You seem fine.”

“Of course,” Aoba mirrored Koujaku’s grin. “Everyone’s fine.”

“Koujaku-san!”

He was the second to walk into the room and the moment he saw Koujaku, he ran and hugged him, eliciting a frown out of Noiz, who followed in shortly.

“You’re still the same,” Koujaku laughed, returning his hug as he patted him roughly on the back. “Wait, not really.” Pulling their hug apart, Koujaku looked at him from head to toe before he laughed again. “You’ve grown taller.”

“Of course I have,” he said.

“It’s only been a year since I last saw you and I remember you were just…” Koujaku paused, measuring his height with his hand in thin air. “…this tall? How old are you already?”

“I’m twenty-three now.”

Koujaku shot Aoba a sideway stare, in which Aoba returned with a nod. Twenty three was a life-changing year for Aoba, a year when everything changed.

“Are we done here?” Noiz finally spoke up, effectively attracting Koujaku’s attention to him.

“And you’re still the same.”

“You say this every time we meet.”

“That’s because it’s true.”

“I say the same then.”

“Hey, hey, cut it out,” Aoba jumped in while his son gave out a weak smile. “Noiz, can you help me carry these up?” he continued, holding up the luggage he had been carrying. “They are heavy.”

Noiz took the luggage from Aoba and headed up to Aoba’s room without another word.

“He’s really the same,” Koujaku sighed.

“Cut him some slack. You know how he is,” Aoba smirked at him from the stairway. Then, when he finally disappeared up the stairs, Koujaku turned to look at their son.

“Does he act like this when he’s back in Germany?”

“Sometimes. But at most times, he’s very gentle,” he responded casually.

“Gentle, huh? I can’t imagine that.”

“You’ll be surprised.” The smirk Noiz and Aoba’s son sent him had Koujaku pause for two seconds to remind himself that this wasn’t Aoba he was talking to before he slung his hand around his neck, like how he used to do to both Aoba and Noiz.

“So, ready for more of your parents’ stories?”

“Of course, that’s what I’m here for.”

At times, Koujaku could somehow understand how it felt like for both Noiz and Aoba. Even though he wasn’t one of the first persons to witness the growth of another life, he had undoubtedly managed to take glimpses at the growing stages of this very man. He remembered when Aoba first brought him over to him, when he was still young and six and barely able to make sense of things around him; he still remembered how he needed a few seconds to allow the reality to sink in; that this very man - who had gotten most of the features of his younger father, except for the color of his eyes and the spikes of his hair which he had well inherited from Aoba - was the son of both Noiz and Aoba. It was surreal as to how Koujaku managed to see _both_ Noiz and Aoba in him, not only in his appearance, but from his personality as well.

When he was six, this very man had clung onto the hem of his kimono, asking him to play with him like how Aoba used to when _he_ was six himself. When he was sixteen, this very man had suddenly become quiet, suddenly becoming disinterested with everything around him and suddenly reminding Koujaku greatly of the nineteen-year-old brat who was once so obsessed with Rhyme.

Now, when he was twenty-three, he was a perfect, fine gentleman of his own. The way he spoke reminded Koujaku of Aoba, but when he fell silent and sank in his own thoughts, his expression reminded him of Noiz and it was just something so… _remarkable_ that often leave Koujaku in a state of astonishment before he returned to attend to the reality that this very person in front of him was _their son_ , that he had been brought up so perfectly well by both perfect yet imperfect parents – a result of all that Aoba and Noiz had gone through.

Twenty-three probably didn’t mean much for a lot of people, but for Aoba and Noiz, and perhaps even for their son, it was possibly yet _another_ life-changing year they’d go through. And Koujaku, along with Tae and everyone else that were important in their life, would be there to witness it all over again.

 

 

“Ouch, softer.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Noiz pressed softer the next time he pushed into Aoba’s shoulder, earning a relieved sigh out of Aoba before he proceeded to continuously doing so for the rest of his shoulder.

“I’ll never get used to traveling like this, I feel so old now,” Aoba confessed, leaning into Noiz’s touch. After a few minutes, he stopped Noiz, pulling his hand over and kissing on the back of it. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“Are you tired? I can massage you if you want,” Aoba offered. He was about to move to sit behind Noiz when Noiz stopped him, pulling him over by the waist and guiding him to sit in between his legs.

“I’m fine. That aside, let’s stay like this for a while.”

He wrapped Aoba into a tight embrace, resting his head against Aoba’s face as he closed his eyes, breathing slowly. Noiz was definitely more mature now, both physically and mentally; but he was no less passionate than how he was ever since they first ended up together almost thirty years back, when they were both young and new to the world. But now, when Aoba looked into Noiz’s eyes, diving deep into the depth of emotions he held so strongly now, he could still see the shadow of that one small brat that once never knew of the names of the most common food in the world. When Noiz talked now, his voice was just slightly deeper, and definitely huskier than how Aoba remembered it to be especially when it was filled with so much want and passion. It made Aoba doubt how he managed to survive through the years with such an insatiable wolf by his side.

But soon, the question was swept out of his head when Noiz tilted his jaw over to kiss him deeply. He knew the answer all along – that he wanted Noiz as much as Noiz wanted him; that he didn’t mind being ravished over and over again and that it was the least of his concern if Noiz was to shower him with physical and emotional desire all the time until there was literally no space for them to breathe.

None of these would change, not even the years that had and would pass by, or the fact that they’ve grown and even had tiny, barely noticeable wrinkles on their faces and skin, or even when Noiz caught sight of a few strands of gray hairs on Aoba – none of these would change anything.

Not even the fact that they now owned a child that meant as important as the world to them.

Their kisses and their hugs were no less hungry than how it was when they first started having frequent intimate sex either. Every time they touch it was as if they were attempting to learn about each other all over again – the touches on their skin were so warm yet so delicate that even when it was just their breathing hitting each other there was no way they could miss the undeniable _want_ they possessed towards each other; the _need_ that was so passionately strong as if they’d never get tired of each other.

And when they drown and immersed themselves in the afterglow, they knew that they’d stay just like this across the many years that they’d continue sharing with each other.

And when it came to the time when they had no choice but to part, they’d still remember the warmth they had so feverishly gave each other for the most of their life – in all physical, mental, and emotional senses.

 

`[ **T H I R T Y – F I V E** ]`

 

He wasn’t able to become his parents’ best man during the first time they got married, not even the second. But on the third and after, he was _always_ his parents’ best man. He wasn’t sure what the deal with his parents’ persistence to renew their vow every ten years but his parents were unique in their own way anyway, and he always respected and supported them for the decisions they made. He was sure that they did things for their own reasons and even when he asked, both his parents would always smile at him; they would tell him that he’d figure out the meaning behind every decision they made by himself eventually, and that he would find one for himself one day.

It was a remarkable sight; no matter how many times he’d witnessed both of his parents – standing on the alter, facing each other with genuine smiles on their faces – he would always feel this warm sensation beneath his chest that made the corners of his lips curve and before he knew it, he would be so overwhelmed with emotions that he swore he almost cried when his parents hugged and ultimately kissed each other, in front of a crowd.

His parents had told him that one day, he’d discover the meaning of his life, the reason for his existence, and the motivation for everything he did. When they descended from the altar to meet him, this time, he almost broke into tears when he saw the trace of aging on his parents’ skin. Despite the heavy grooming, there was no way one could stop what time would do to one living person – and it was so real, so evident on his parents’ features now.

“I want a story like yours,” he told his parents, causing Noiz to give out a small smile while Aoba grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

“You’ll find one sooner or later,” Aoba said as he looked at Noiz for approval and only turned his attention back to his son when Noiz nodded.

“But I’m sure it wouldn’t be as beautiful as yours.”

Aoba and Noiz looked at each other before Aoba placed both of his hands on his son’s shoulders.

“It’s only beautiful if you give meaning to it,” he said. “I’m sure Noiz would agree. Our story is the same as anyone else, but it’s only beautiful because we believe in it. We give it a meaning.”

“That’s the reason why we gave you your name,” Noiz said after a long pause. “I wasn’t able to live it well despite what the name wanted it to be, but we’re absolute that you would carry it better than I do.”

“I love the name,” he interrupted. “I’m grateful for that. I once thought that it’d be a responsible too heavy to carry, but I start to understand the implication behind why you gave me father’s name.”

“Oh,” Aoba gasped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pressure you like this when we decided to give you your name. It’s not that we want you to live our hope, but we hope you could find meaning of life, and protect what you deserve.”

It was a story he once heard from his parents – how his father once abandoned hope and how they found that very hope in each other. It was an experience his parents never wanted him to go through and yet, they wanted him to protect and fight for what he deserved.

They wanted him to be happy.

“No, it’s okay, I understand,” he smiled, grasping Aoba’s hands firmly in his. “I really appreciate it.”

“From the way I see it,” Noiz continued, stepping forward to pat his son on the shoulder. “You’ve already properly live it, there’s no need for pressure anymore. You’ve made us proud.”

It was a name he was very proud of; he loved his fathers, and it was an honor to inherit his father’s name, which had eventually become a name of his own.

“I know,” he returned both of his parents’ smiles with a gentle one of his own, the burning tears behind his eyelids threatening to fall any second now. “Because I’ve properly protected your happiness as well.”

Before he knew it, he was pulled into Aoba’s strong embrace, and that was when he knew that he had defeated Aoba’s endurance limit. He glanced to the side and saw that Noiz was smiling at him. He never knew a lot about his father’s past, but he knew that he was once abandoned, locked up, discriminated, and that he had gone as far as to change his _name_ to suit himself into a new identity. It must be a great regret for him to be unable to live up to what was given to him. And he also knew that, when his parents gave him Noiz’s name, they weren’t forcing him to live Noiz’s lost identity – but they knew that he’d be a _protector_ for himself, for everyone he loved, and that was what mattered the most to them.

But above all, it was like a process of overseeing the growth of themselves in another individual. It was a surreal growing process of its own but regardless, everything turned out naturally as how both Aoba and Noiz had envisioned him to be. Not as Aoba, not as Noiz, but as an individual of himself. He’d protected what Noiz and Aoba both deserved, as well as protected who he himself wanted to be at the same time.

He’d definitely honored his name.

 

`[ **F I N A L E** ]`

 

Time stopped for no one. The years passed by like a blink of an eye.

He still remembered dragging his parents around to play with him, saying goodbye to them in front of the school gate, celebrating their anniversaries together with them, cuddling together in bed and listening to their love stories over and over again; he also remembered getting into fights with them, earning scolding while he grew up, and he also remembered the pain he’d seen on their faces when he once rebelled against them.

Now, as he sat on a bench in a garden, staring towards the wide green field and wondering if he had made his parents proud, a blue butterfly stopped and sat on his shoulder, distracting him momentarily.

His parents had told him that no matter how bad the world seemed to be, there were always good things around to look forward to, that they should never give up hope and that they should always stay firm with their own beliefs. Those words had eventually become his life motto, and they were what that had helped him through tough times; they were what helped him find a meaning to his life.

Even when both of his parents were no longer around, he knew that they’d lived a meaningful life – one that could only be achieved with each other. He could see that in their smiles when they held each other so closely during their last moments. He could see how happy they were. He could see the life in them even though they were so close to losing them.

And as he looked up at the sky when the blue butterfly departed from his shoulder, he was also sure that he had made his parents proud, and that he had made himself proud as well – for walking a path he himself believed in like how his parents wanted him to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Age reference:
> 
> Noiz - 24; Aoba - 28; Son - 0  
> Noiz - 29; Aoba - 33; Son - 5  
> Noiz - 39; Aoba - 43; Son - 15  
> Noiz - 49; Aoba - 53; Son - 25  
> Noiz - 59; Aoba - 63; Son - 35  
> Noiz - 69; Aoba - 73; Son - 45
> 
> _(:'3/L
> 
> || Wilhelm - the desire to protect ||


	4. Unchanged [Koujaku x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When history repeats itself, Aoba found himself doing exactly what he did almost twenty years back. 
> 
> This time, _he_ wanted to take the initiative. But Koujaku obviously had better plans for him - plans that he wasn't aware of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so late but better late than never :3
> 
> Inspired by [Vian's comic](http://just-tyrannical.tumblr.com/post/113641728712/part-1-of-my-kouao-white-day-comic-part-2-will). He also drew a gorgeous art for this fic, please give this kind soul support uvu

He didn't expect to grow fond towards the boy next door.  He deemed him to be yet another one of those come-and-go acquaintances when he first met him – someone who would never stay in his life for long.  He never expected _anyone_ to stay in his life for long. Just when he thought that he had found happiness, it slipped away almost immediately, leaving him with a sense of emptiness.

When he first met him, the boy next door smiled at him and all he could do was hide behind his grandmother, too afraid to make _friends_. He didn't want to go through it again – that feeling of losing something important; the feeling of being _abandoned_.

But _Koujaku_ proved him wrong.

The sky gradually turned darker with every passing minute. As he sat on the swing in the playground, he could feel the unmistakable fear within him, causing him to consider things that weren't true, things that he _knew_ were just a result from his over-thinking.

Grasping hard on the metal material of the chain, he tried hard to suppress the tempting urge to burst out in tears. He promised his grandmother not to cry anymore, and he never wanted to see his grandmother’s worried face again. He knew he should be strong.

But that feeling of being _abandoned_ was too overwhelming for him to ignore now and being a child who barely knew anything about the world, there was no way he could win the stronger temptation.

“Aoba!”

Tears welled at the corner of his eyes when he looked up, spotting a shadow running towards him and stopping in front of him as he clumsily wiped the tears off.

“K-Koujaku…?”

“You’re still here.” Koujaku greeted him with a bright grin on his face while he panted, trying to catch his breath.

“I’m waiting for Granny,” Aoba said, looking away and staring at the floor instead. He didn't want Koujaku to notice that he was at the verge of dropping tears. He promised his grandmother not to cry anymore; and he didn't want his only friend to notice that he wasn't as strong as he thought he was.

“Ah, Tae-san is running late, huh?”

He knew that Koujaku was looking at him but he refused to exchange eye contact with him. He could still feel the urge of crying and he knew that one probe was all he needed to break that limit.

“Aoba?” Koujaku called out. Then, he felt Koujaku patting his head, then ruffling on his hair.

“I’m… I’m not..”

“Hm?”

He wasn't as strong as he thought he was. Or perhaps, no one ever wanted him to be strong but _he_ himself wanted to and he wanted to live up to his determination. But he was no match for Koujaku’s sincere concern so the moment he felt Koujaku’s warm hand on his head, along with Koujaku’s gentle voice, he realized that probably it was fine for him to be weak sometimes, especially when he was in front of someone who he had come to trust so much.

“I’m not crying,” Aoba muttered.

He could hear Koujaku’s laugh, which only deepened the frown on his face.

“Yeah, you’re not,” Koujaku said with a smile.

“I’m not!” Finally looking up, he gulped when he made eye contact with Koujaku. There was something about Koujaku’s gaze that never failed to perplex him – that warmth with a hint of determination and strength – it was something that Aoba shrived for; something Aoba wanted to be.

It was not only the fact that Koujaku had defended him from countless bullies in the area that had given Aoba the perception that Koujaku was a strong man; a much stronger person that he was. But it was also the tough, penetrating gaze that he often gave Aoba – that stare that spelt strength in more than just a physical way – that had Aoba waver in many ways. It was something that Aoba had never seen in anyone else.

“Sure,” Koujaku smiled, practically messing up Aoba’s hair now. “Of course you’re not crying. Aoba is a strong boy.”

He wasn’t sure if that was an intentional tease or if Koujaku genuinely meant it but his words gave him a sense of determination and a whole new realization as he gave Koujaku a pout, which was replaced with a bright smile shortly, before he responded.

“Koujaku was the one who told me this – that we must be strong for Granny and mother.”

Koujaku was stunned for two seconds before he returned Aoba’s smile with one of his own.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Koujaku is strong too,” Aoba continued, grasping on Koujaku’s hand as he stood up from the swing.

He didn't tell Koujaku that he had always seen Koujaku as his hero – as as someone he looked up to. When he was five, he didn't know if the warmth he felt in his heart when he picked up Koujaku’s hand meant anything. But he knew it was something precious – something that can only be felt with someone who he trusted and who genuinely cared about him.

 

There were a lot of things that Aoba couldn't understand, being the naïve five-year-old he was.

Like why Koujaku appeared in front of his doorway with a box of chocolates in his hand on one fine day.

“Granny isn't around,” he said, still staring at the nicely wrapped box in Koujaku’s hands.

“Ah… I’m not looking for Tae-san,” Koujaku said with awkwardness in his voice – something Aoba was extremely unfamiliar with.

The silence spread. It was two minutes later that Koujaku decided to break the ice.

“Do you want to play together today?” he asked, silently hiding the box away as he returned the usual smile onto his face.

Aoba nodded. He couldn't understand why Koujaku hid the box away either. If it wasn't for Granny, then who was it for?

Walking hand-in-hand, Aoba couldn't help but notice how unnatural Koujaku was. Usually, Koujaku would always be the one asking him the most trivial questions; but today, he was quiet, only laughing inelegantly when Aoba talked to him.

Their day wasn't any different from how it usually was, though. The playground was quiet, belonged solely to them, which was of course, something Aoba would prefer rather than having to share the space with someone else and having constant pointing at him thanks to his hair or worse, being bullied for how he looked like.

Even though Koujaku was around with him this time, he still didn't like the feeling of being teased right in front of his only friend, especially not when he was so determined to be a strong person of his own.

When they walked their way home, though, the gawkiness in Koujaku became even more pronounced. He got easily distracted; and at most times, he only listened to Aoba in a half-hearted way that had Aoba scowl at him and ultimately nudged him for attention when they stopped in front of Aoba’s house.

“Koujaku, is something wrong?” Aoba asked, trying not to make the annoyance in his voice sound too obvious. Koujaku was always upfront with him; but it wasn't as if Aoba couldn't sense it when Koujaku was troubled anyway. What disturbed Aoba today was the fact that Koujaku was _obviously_ troubled but yet, he was _obviously_ not telling Aoba anything about it.

It made Aoba feel… _abandoned_.

“Oh… It’s noth—“ Koujaku stopped abruptly, noticing the change of expression on Aoba’s face and immediately realizing the situation he’d put himself in. Swallowing his remaining words down his throat, he smiled, now looking less bitter than before as he squatted and placed a hand on top of Aoba’s head.

Their height difference was something Aoba was often conscious about. He’d told himself that he would be strong for himself – but his height, along with the difference of their builds were realities evident enough to tell him that he still had a long way to go. But at the same time, there was no way he’d deny the fact that these were also reasons why he felt secure with Koujaku – because he knew that Koujaku was more than capable to block troubles out of the way for him, in more than just a physical sense.

“I’m sorry. You must be troubled.”

Aoba wanted to tell Koujaku that _Koujaku_ should be the troubled one but Koujaku was quick to continue.

“I've been thinking about how I should give you this but…”

This time though, Koujaku averted his eyes, and Aoba was surprised to notice yet another thing that he’d never notice on Koujaku before –

There was a tiny hint of blush on Koujaku’s face that, for a second, made Aoba think as if he was starting to get a heat stroke. But then Koujaku gave out a loud, unnatural cough, reaching to his back and taking the same box Aoba had seen him hiding away in the morning.

“You want to give this to Granny?” he finally asked, no longer able to suppress the curiosity. “Granny is not home yet, maybe I can pass it to her?”

Koujaku smiled bitterly, which did nothing but further heightening Aoba’s curiosity.

“It’s okay,” Koujaku said before he lifted the box up and pushed it gently towards the direction of Aoba’s chest. “It’s for you.”

Aoba merely stared at Koujaku, unsure of how to respond. A few awkward moments later and he quickly grabbed the box out of Koujaku’s hand, finally understanding the meaning behind this.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Aoba! I really appreciate you for being my first friend that I made here in Midorijima, so I made you some chocolates.”

He didn’t know much about Valentine’s Day, but he knew enough to know that it was supposed to be a special day for couples. Koujaku’s action puzzled him but he accepted the box nonetheless, his lips curled into a big smile as he replied,

“Thank you, Koujaku!”

“Haha! I’m glad that you liked it!”

He never received a lot of presents before either; he couldn't remember if he ever received any. But this was a present given to him by Koujaku – it meant the world to him, regardless of what purpose was this for.

 

He never ate the chocolates until Tae found it in under his bed that he finally decided to eat everything, in a shot.

When Aoba finished the final piece, Tae looked at him, a mix of curiosity and tease in her eyes.

“Maybe you want to do something for White Day?” she asked, while Aoba returned her question with a face that spelt confusion.

Without waiting for an answer, Tae stood up, took the plate off the table and walked into the kitchen with Aoba tottering behind her as they stopped in front of the sink.

“What is White Day, Granny?” Aoba asked. He’d heard about Valentine’s, but not White Day.

“White Day is a special day when girls receive a reply gift from men they really like, and gave chocolates to on Valentine’s Day.”

Aoba sank into deep consideration. So this was what Granny meant by doing something for White Day?

“Do you have anyone you really like, Aoba?” Tae asked, still busy with cleaning while Aoba continued considering.

“Someone I really like..?” Aoba’s voice trailed off at the end. “Hmmm… I really like Granny!”

“Haha, that’s very sweet of you, Aoba. Thank you,” Tae smiled. “Do you have someone else that you really like?”

“Someone else?” For one second, Aoba seemed to struggle to find the answer. Seeing that, Tae continued, lending a helping hand.

“The person who gave you the chocolates for Valentine’s?”

“Oh, Koujaku!”

There was a loud clattering sound echoing from the sink as Tae almost dropped the plate.

“I really like Koujaku!” Aoba continued.

“O-oh,” Tae stuttered, then giving out a cough. “Did he now… Do you want to make some ‘reply’ chocolates, Aoba?”

“Eh, really?! Will you teach me?”

Seeing the excited look on Aoba’s face, Tae’s smile brightened as she dried her hands with a hand towel before she patted Aoba on the head.

“Sure.”

“Thank you, Granny!”

And that was that. It took the whole afternoon for Tae to teach Aoba how to make proper chocolates. By the time evening arrived, the kitchen was in a big mess, sweat trickling down both of their cheeks while chocolate pastes could be seen on their faces, shirts and hands.

Staring cautiously at the box of chocolates in his hands, Aoba felt his fingers trembling. They weren't the best looking chocolates but they didn't look too bad either. Tae took a quick look into the box and looked away, reading the recipe again before he returned her gaze to the chocolates.

“Are these… alright?” Aoba asked, insecurity obvious in his tone, still staring at his first ever handmade chocolates.

“Th-they look great, Aoba,” she said, trying to sound convincing. They tasted the chocolates before they wrapped them up – they weren't the best tasting food they’d eaten but they were, well, bearable, at the very least.

Even though they were slightly – _just slightly_ – burned.

 

The next day came too fast for his liking. Grasping on the delicately wrapped box, he settled it on his lap, swinging his legs back and forth as he waited for Koujaku in the living room. Koujaku had told him that he’d come over to pick him up today as Tae would not be around until late night for a council meeting after her daily duties. Aoba looked at the wall clock. Koujaku was ten minutes late and he felt nothing but anxieties as he gripped harder on the box, trying not to crumple the wrapping paper but failing to control his nervousness at the same time.

“Aoba?!”

He almost dropped the box. Frantically standing up, he ran to the door, locked the front door once he’d stepped out of the house and came face-to-face with Koujaku, who was wearing his usual bright grin as he opened the door for Aoba.

“Sorry, I was helping my mom with some cooking,” he apologized. But Aoba shook his head, keeping both of his hands behind as he stared at the ground.

“It’s okay,” he muttered.

Koujaku smiled.

“Let’s go!” He held out his hand, expecting Aoba to take it but when Aoba hesitated, he froze in his tracks, looking back curiously as he stepped towards Aoba.

“What’s wrong, Aoba?” he asked. Aoba was still staring at the ground, his heart beating loudly in his ears before he stuttered.

“K-Koujaku.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Koujaku’s voice was gentle. His entire presence was tender – his gestures, his attitude, his action towards Aoba – all of them. He was a warm existence to Aoba; and Aoba wondered if he was to hold Koujaku’s hand now, would the warmth be as warm as how he was feeling on his face right now?

“What is it, Aoba?” Koujaku asked again, assuming that Aoba hadn't heard his question.

“I…” Aoba stopped, gulping down his throat before he slowly looked up, the grasp on the box behind him so strong it was almost crushing the paper material.

“I have something to give you,” he finally said, having to take a deep breath right after he ended his words to catch his breath.

“Oh?” Koujaku’s curiosity was evident from the way he quirked a curious eyebrow at Aoba, then moving his gaze to the back before Aoba pushed him away with one hand.

“D-don’t peek!” he frowned with an accompanying pout.

“Okay, okay,” Koujaku laughed, visibly amused with the huge reaction he’d drawn out of Aoba.

He took a few steps back, putting a distance between them and continued staring at Aoba, an obvious enough hint to tell Aoba that he’d piqued Koujaku’s interest out of his own intention.

“I-it’s not something great,” he mumbled.

“But it’s something from Aoba,” Koujaku said. “That’s great enough.”

He wondered if Koujaku was to see what he was about to give him, would he feel the same way as how he felt when _Koujaku_ gave him the chocolates?

Slowly, he reached his stretched arm behind him again, feeling the slightly crumpled material of the box before he finally looked up. Taking the box up, he walked towards Koujaku, then pushed the box into Koujaku’s chest.

“H-happy White Day, Koujaku!” he said with an unnaturally high voice. Now he could perfectly understand how Koujaku felt when he was about to give Aoba _his_ box of chocolates.

He was so drown in embarrassment that he dared not make eye contact with Koujaku, fixing his gaze on the ground the entire time as he felt Koujaku ruffling on his hair.

And he wondered if this was how it felt – the warmth spreading across one’s chest, the sound of loud heartbeats in one’s ears – when he was the one to give someone else a gift instead?

 

* * *

 

He hadn’t been considering it for too long. He’d never received a lot of gifts before, as far as he could remember. But he did received gifs occasionally during Valentine’s, sometimes in front of his own house; sometimes in front of Heibon.

Stretching, he placed his hands behind his head, staring straight up at the ceiling as the angel and demon of his mind debated between each other.

He was pretty sure that Koujaku was well aware of what day was coming soon and knowing how popular his boyfriend could be, he wouldn't even be surprised if he ended up not coming home for dinner. He scowled at the thought. He’d be prepared with the possibilities of such similar scenarios ever since he found himself dangerously in love with his popular childhood friend. It was something both him and Koujaku couldn't help, either. Koujaku was naturally gentle and soft in the heart; it wasn't surprising for him to be so loved amongst women.

He had his own reasons, and Aoba understood and wanted to respect that.

Giving out a loud sigh, he closed his eyes, flipping the question again and again in his head.

“Aoba.”

“Hmm?”

Ren jumped onto the counter, seemingly conscious of Aoba’s problems.

“Your brain is running on a worrying fast level, are you okay?”

“Oh,” Aoba gave out a small sigh again, then opened his eyes and straightened himself up in his seat. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

“Is there anything I can help?” Ren was quick to offer assistance. Aoba supported his chin with his hand, a frown forming in between his eyebrows as he considered.

“Hey, Ren,” he called out after a few seconds of silence.

“What is it, Aoba?”

“Valentine’s is coming soon,” Aoba said slowly, visibly still trying to organize his thoughts into place.

“Valentine’s, the day when lovers give chocolates to their partners?”

“Yeah…” Aoba trailed off, almost giving up when Ren interrupted.

“Aoba, are you thinking of preparing something for Koujaku?”

He smiled bitterly. There was no way he could escape Ren’s sharp sense.

“I’m thinking if I should give him anything at all,” he said, finally lifting the stone off his chest straight out of his mouth. “I mean, he would've received so many that there wouldn't be any place for mine. Besides…” he stopped again, pressing his face against the counter as he sighed. “I can’t make good chocolates. I’d be no competition to the others.”

Ren responded by placing his paw gently on Aoba’s head, as if trying to comfort him.

“But Koujaku is Aoba’s boyfriend,” Ren said, completely straightforward and Aoba almost choked on his saliva. “Koujaku would be happy to receive one from you.”

Well, he was right. Aoba knew it himself – no matter how many gifts he’d received from someone else, he’d be the happiest to receive something from _Aoba_.

With that determination in place, he sat up again, slapping his palms on both sides of his cheeks.

“Then we have no time to waste!”

He looked at the time on his Coil – 5.00 p.m. It’s almost time for him to leave work.

Tonight, he’d try the best he could with this whole chocolate making business. He couldn't guarantee something good, but at the very least, he wanted it to leave an impression – he wanted to remind Koujaku about their mutual feelings.

 

“Koujaku-san.”

The snipping sound was loud but the voice of the woman who’d just called out to Koujaku was equally clear.

“Hmm?” Koujaku hummed, without stopping his hand movements, diving his fingers in and out of the woman’s hair as he continued on his work.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

He tried to ignore, expecting the other to continue.

“It’s Valentine’s tomorrow,” the woman continued as expected.

“Yeah,” Koujaku responded with no visible change of tone. “That’s why I’m not going to be free.”

“Koujaku-san is seeing someone?” the woman teased.

Koujaku smiled at the question before he shifted the position of the woman’s head slightly.

“Don’t move too much, we don’t want an imbalance cut, do we?”

“It’s quite obvious, Koujaku-san,” the woman continued, staring at the mirror instead. “Just thought of reminding you.”

That was where Koujaku froze his actions, returning the woman’s gaze in the mirror as he considered.

“Remember flowers,” the woman said, noticing the change of attitude as she twirled the ends of her hair, now neatly trimmed. “Hmm, I’m not sure what flowers does Aoba-san like though, or if he even likes any.”

Koujaku was completely distracted now. The next time the woman turned to look at him, he was supporting his chin with his hand, a thin frown in between his eyebrows as he swiped his finger lightly across his bottom lip.

“Do you think Aoba would like roses?” he asked out of the sudden, although he wasn’t sure if he was speaking his thoughts out loud or if he was asking a genuine question.

“I think Aoba-san would like anything you give him.”

The woman had a point, and Koujaku was surprised to find himself missing out such an important truth.

“Chocolates?” the woman asked again, amused at the sight of Koujaku’s brightening his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about it.”

Koujaku gave out an unnatural cough.

“I can help you if you need, Koujaku-san,” she said playfully before she stood up, intimidating Koujaku as she caressed her chin. “And if you need to do it, you need to do it fast. Like,” she held Koujaku’s hand up to check on his Coil. “Now.”

 

He wasn't even sure if he was doing the right thing. As he stared into the box of chocolate he’d spent the whole of yesterday night doing (with the help of a clearly not amused Tae), he out a sigh before he checked on his Coil.

 

`Koujaku  
Are we still on today?`

 

Koujaku had texted him yesterday – late at night – to ask him if he wanted to meet up today. It was Aoba’s intention all along, if he hadn’t been too nervous to press the ‘send’ button before Koujaku’s message almost made him drop his Coil. They were to meet at Koujaku’s place after the end of Aoba’s shift. Aoba had almost ran late in the morning when he spent a bit too much of time trying to figure out how to tie a proper ribbon before he finally discarded the idea of actually putting one on the box. Giving out a louder sigh, he replied,

 

`See you then.`

 

He slumped his back against the chair, feeling exhausted for no particular reason at all.

 

It wasn’t as if he had never been to Koujaku’s house before. Even before they started their relationship, Koujaku’s house had always been like a second home for him. Slipping the key into the keyhole, he swallowed down his throat, feeling nervous for unknown reasons, his hand gripping on the box as if his life depended on it.

Koujaku might not be back yet, but then again, he was the one who was so persistent with the time, so he might already be at home by now.

Aoba shook his head. This wasn’t the time for him to hesitate. Regardless of if he was at home or not, it wasn’t as if Aoba was heading to meet his fiancé…

… or maybe he was?

Groaning loudly, he put his hand on the doorknob, paused for another second before he knocked on the door, canceling the plan of intruding just like that. Then, when there wasn’t any response from the inside, he turned the knob, pushed the door open, and walked into a dark room.

“Koujaku?” he whispered, as if anticipating a surprise. When there wasn’t any response, he took a few more steps into the room, tiptoeing as he searched around for the switch. But before he could do just that, he caught sight of something that made him feel as if his heart was about to leapt out of his mouth.

It was a silhouette of a shadow, with the back facing him, the light pouring in from the slightly agape window. It was not a shadow he was familiar to be seeing in this household. Acting on impulse, he searched around, grabbing onto the first thing he found – a bonsai plant – and was about to call out to the stranger when the other turned around, causing Aoba to drop his jaw.

“You’re here!”

“K-Koujaku?”

It wasn’t a shadow he was familiar with, but this man was definitely someone he was more than familiar with… or so he thought. Still gaping, he stared, starting from the top to the bottom of Koujaku’s entire outlook before he found his own nerves, gulping as he lowered the pot.

Koujaku was in a set of black suit, a red inner shirt with a silver-colored tie complementing the perfectness of his already gorgeous appearance. His hair was slightly combed back, showing just a small hint of the black swirls on his face before Aoba focused his attention on his eyes, which stood out even more now that Koujaku was put in an appearance that was so stimulating and… _flawless_.

He’d never imagined Koujaku to look like this. He’d gotten used to seeing him in his traditional Japanese wear and he’d thought that those were already more than enough to bring out his natural attractiveness.

But this level of change was a whole new level for him; and if he was to be completely honest to himself, he felt as if he had just… fallen in love with Koujaku all over again.

“Why are you holding that plant?’ Koujaku asked, taking a step towards Aoba before Aoba awkwardly put the pot back to where it belonged, averting Koujaku’s eyes and feeling way too flustered to see him in the eyes.

“Aha, nothing,” he smiled gracelessly, hearing the heartbeats loudly in his ears when Koujaku traced a finger across his cheek.

“Tough day at work?” Koujaku asked, sounded almost like a whisper as Aoba swallowed down his throat.

“N-not really…”

“That’s good.”

He knew Koujaku was giving him one of those smiles that often hit the weak spots of most of the women he’d dealt with. But at the same time, he also knew that there was something else in Koujaku’s smile that he only used when he was faced with _Aoba_ and the realization of that mere fact did nothing but further heating Aoba’s face up.

“Aoba?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Happy Valen—“

Aoba quickly looked up, pushing his hand against Koujaku’s mouth to stop him from talking as he glared at him.

“No, not this one,” he said, evoking a curious expression out of Koujaku.

Before he knew it, he was pushing the box into Koujaku’s chest (now almost crumpled), averting his eyes once again and feeling the heat rising to his head. It was starting to make him feel dizzy.

“H-Happy Valentine’s, Koujaku.” His voice trailed off at the end. Realizing that, he quickly gave out a loud cough before he turned around and finally looking Koujaku in the eyes.

“Happy Valentine’s,” he repeated.

Koujaku was momentarily stunned before he looked at Aoba, then at the box that was forcefully pushed into his hands. It was an awkward one whole minute. No longer able to withstand the painful passing moments, Aoba scowled with a pout.

“What?”

“Ah, nothing.” Koujaku was obviously awkward as well. Scratching the back of his head with one hand, he smiled, leaning forward to peck Aoba on the cheek before he muttered, “Thank you.”

“D-don’t expect too much.”

He didn’t intend to say this either. But Koujaku looked so happy that he couldn’t help but feel all self-conscious towards what Koujaku might be expecting from him. Then again, it was perhaps like what Ren had told him, that Koujaku wouldn’t mind, and that Koujaku would like _anything_ Aoba was to give him.

“I have something for you too,” Koujaku continued, sensing the perfect opportunity and turning around to search for something by the bedside.

Aoba could only stare from a distance, too afraid to even ask what it was. He was already shocked enough from Koujaku’s new appearance and any more surprises would do nothing but causing him to faint for real.

And it almost did.

He could only vaguely make out from the shadow that Koujaku was holding something huge. But when he turned around, Aoba had to hold on to the corner of the cabinet to stop himself from stumbling over.

The red roses were extraordinarily beautiful; they were a perfect complement of Koujaku’s fiery eyes, more so when Koujaku was now dressed in such a gentleman way that Aoba found his words stuck in his throat, unsure of what else he could say without appearing too overwhelmed.

But yet, it wasn’t something bad after all – perhaps Koujaku had done this on purpose to _overwhelm_ him. He thought he’d had the upper hand; he wanted to surprise Koujaku. But now, it seemed like the upper hand was graciously handed back to the man in front of him.

He was no match at all; his pathetic chocolate wasn’t even scratching on the level of how much Koujaku had done for him.

“I..” he stuttered, struggling between feeling contradicted and overawed.

Koujaku was walking towards him, a bouquet of flowers in his hand, a box of nicely wrapped present in the other.

“Happy Valentine’s, Aoba,” he said, placing the flowers gracefully in Aoba’s hands. His smile was so terrifyingly beautiful now Aoba felt as if he would break into tears any moment. He had no idea what to say; and no idea at all on what he could do so that he could express himself properly on how much exactly he appreciated Koujaku’s effort.

“I… I’m sorry,” he said instead, which wasn’t part of his plan at all. Terrified at the choice of his words, he quickly looked up, shock on his face as he looked into Koujaku’s surprised expression.

“What’s that for?” Koujaku gave out a bitter smile.

“I.. I mean, I should’ve done more for you but…” He shifted his gaze cautiously to look at his own box of chocolates, which was still in Koujaku’s grasp.

“You mean this?” Koujaku said, waving the box of chocolate in front of him before he broke into a wide smile. “I’m very happy, Aoba.”

His words were small at the last of his sentence but the gentleness within it was loud enough for Aoba to grasp it.

“I remember you did something like this for me too. When we were younger,” he continued, staring at the box of chocolate and smiling to himself, as if reminiscing on something absolutely endearing.

“I.. I did?” Aoba asked, still extremely self-conscious.

“You totally did,” Koujaku said with a light smile. “I’ll never forget it.”

“E-eh..?”

He couldn’t remember a lot about his past; the most vivid memory being Koujaku, who he’d spent the most of his childhood with. But it surprised him to realize that he couldn’t even remember something that was so obviously important to Koujaku.

“Of course, who would ever forget it when I had to spend three days in the toilet thanks to your burnt chocolate,” Koujaku continued, the gentle smile gradually turning into a smirk.

“E-eh…?”

It took a while for Aoba to realize what Koujaku meant and before he knew it, he was launching a punch on Koujaku’s head, earning a yelp out of the other as he blushed furiously at him.

“Whatever it was, I was a kid! What did you expect?!” Aoba exclaimed, huffing angrily as he took a step up and glared at Koujaku. “You should be appreciative that a kid was willing to go all the way to prepare handmade chocolates for you!”

Koujaku forced out a bitter smile, massaging on the spot where Aoba had hit him.

“I did. I really appreciate it,” he said. “And you remember after all.”

Realizing what he’d just said, Aoba stuttered, whatever retorts he had stuck in his throat as he continued glaring at Koujaku, who had chosen the perfect opportunity to wrap his hand around Aoba’s waist, pulling him closer just so Aoba was close enough for him to plant a kiss on the cheek.

“Wait, wait! The flowers!” Aoba exclaimed, trying to push Koujaku away before they could squish the flowers in between them but Koujaku didn’t seem to mind a bit as he continued grasping on Aoba’s waist, and Aoba only complied when Koujaku wrapped him in his embrace, locking his movements and giving him a stare so intense he couldn’t help but gape.

“Wh-what are you looking at?” he asked, voice small and obviously flustered at the intimacy. For a long while, Koujaku did nothing but continue staring, until he gave out a small chuckle and closed his eyes.

“Nothing. Just wondering how unreal it is to be able to see you up close now.”

There were times when he’d find Koujaku staring into space, clearly thinking about something before his thoughts were disturbed by Aoba’s presence. Then, he’d give Aoba a bright smile, one that Aoba knew was intended to worry him less. There were also times when he’d find himself wrapped in Koujaku’s warm embrace while the other merely hold him close, leaning his body against Aoba’s, breathing slowly as he indulged in the scent that was his childhood friend. He wanted so much to ask Koujaku what was in his mind; if he could help him at all. But every time the question reached the tip of his tongue, he found himself swallowing it back as he returned Koujaku’s embrace with a tighter one of his own after he’d allowed the bouquet of flowers fall to the floor.

It was Koujaku’s relieved sigh that told him that he was right after all.

Tiptoeing, Aoba planted a quick kiss on Koujaku’s lips, pouting when he pulled back.

“You better believe it,” he said, his tone firmer than before.

He didn’t even give Koujaku any time to respond before he slung his arms around Koujaku’s neck, pulling him low enough to kiss him deeply. And this time, when they separated their kiss, the curiosity on Koujaku’s face was no longer obvious, replaced instead by a tender smile.

“Believe that I’m here, with you,” Aoba said in a whisper. Instinctively, he fiddled with Koujaku’s silver-colored tie, pulling on it and stroking on the smooth silky material. “You should’ve told me that you’re doing this,” he continued, purposely changing the topic.

“I wanted to give you a surprise,” Koujaku teased. “But I wonder… what would you do if I _did_ told you? Would you dress up like this too?”

Aoba scowled. Giving Koujaku’s suit a final tidy-up, he glared at Koujaku.

“I don’t know what made you do this –“ _he lied, he knew_ “ – but… y-you look…” His sentence trailed off at the end, amplifying the curiosity in Koujaku as he stared, clearly waiting for him to continue.

“…you look good,” Aoba said, his voice so small Koujaku almost missed it.

He didn’t need to see Koujaku in the face to know how earnest Koujaku’s smile was. Then, Koujaku dived his fingers into Aoba’s hair, gently stroking his head and Aoba didn’t need to ask to know how much his answer meant to Koujaku.

“Don’t let anyone see you like this,” Aoba mumbled, evoking an instant chuckle out of Koujaku.

“Aoba, you…”

There was something about Koujaku’s firm hug – the fact that he could literally wrap the whole of Aoba in his hands; the fact that his embrace was so _warm_ that Aoba sometimes find it hard to breathe; and the fact that Aoba could feel his passion even if it was just a hug – that often assured Aoba that they’d be fine.

And that no matter how many years down the road, Koujaku would always be his hero – his embarrassing, proud hero.

“I hope I won’t land myself in another round of toilet this time,” Koujaku said with a playful smile. But this time, Aoba responded by tracing a finger against the black swirls on his face, smiling cheekily before he said,

“I’ll eat it with you this time. If anything is to happen, we’ll face it together.”

His answer elicited a shiver down Koujaku’s spine. But even if they really ended up like that, he’d have no regrets anyway. For Aoba had dedicated his effort to him, and he was sure that Aoba shared the same line of thought as him as well.

 

 


	5. Devotion [Noiz x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a promise they made when they were both unripe and young and… definitely not when they would expect themselves to be where they are now - in Germany, celebrating Valentine’s. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A year later and here I am, filling in prompts for Valentine's once again.  
> Hi again, readers from my previous series and hi, new readers :)

It was an overdue promise.

Valentine’s never bear too much meaning for Aoba, neither did he feel the need to celebrate it. For him, it was merely another day of spendthrift expenditure and especially knowing Noiz, too much was too little and too little was unworthy; a definition of wealth Aoba could never comprehend. The concept of Germany was foreign by itself, but despite the immense differences in culture, there was only one thing that would never change – _them_.

Noiz obviously remembered everything he’d told Aoba – promises, especially. His observant skills constantly had Aoba dropping his jaw, reminding him that this was an intelligent brat he was dealing with and that there was no way he was going to allow the brat to take over the upper hand so easily. He knew Noiz saw something in him that he himself might not be able to see but he wanted to trust Noiz for his decision to have him by his side, despite their contrasting background.

The least he could do was to keep making promises and fulfilling them with every passing minute they were to spend with each other.

…starting with the one he made almost a year back in Midorijima, when Noiz was still admitted in the hospital.

Noiz portrayed nothing that told Aoba that he was up to something for Valentine’s. Perhaps he’d forgotten about it after all; perhaps he didn’t deem it important enough to be placed on top of his priority list. Every day was Valentine’s to him anyway, like how he always liked to emphasize that Aoba was his best gift whenever Aoba was to ask him about what he liked.

Aoba knew that Noiz meant it, but it wasn’t helping him the slightest when he stared at the cart full of ingredients, letting out hefty sighs as he checked his grocery list over and over again, as if hoping that the solution to his incredulous options would pop up by itself if he was to scroll frequent enough.

“Ren, do you think I’ve got enough to make a decent chocolate?” he stared cagily at Ren, his final resort.

“I think Aoba is doing more than enough,” Ren said, robotic voice familiarly sincere. “Noiz wouldn’t expect this.”

“I really wish he wouldn’t. This is supposed to be a surprise, anyway,” Aoba chuckled.

“Noiz would like anything Aoba is to do for him,” Ren reaffirmed, seemingly noticed Aoba’s hesitance.

“Man, he better eat everything I make,” Aoba laughed. “It might not be perfect, sure. But it’s made with love, at the very least.”

“Noiz would be overwhelmed.”

Ren’s comment lifted a feathery chortle out of Aoba. Ren was right; Noiz was right, even he himself was right. His self-conscious wasn’t something he could help but he knew that was all for his own good. Oftentimes, he’d find himself pondering on things that didn’t matter, but eventually, he realized that they _did_ mattered after all. Instead of saying that he was overly apprehensive, he’d rather define himself as being overly concerned.

That was probably why Noiz was so worried about him, anyway. And that was also probably why Noiz loved him so much, even though words weren’t his best way to convey his thoughts.

He only found his determination all the more intense once he settled the bags of ingredient onto the kitchen counter. The real challenge would start now. He took a quick glance at the clock – 10:00; that should be more than enough time for him to prepare whatever he had in his mind. Even until today, he still wondered if Noiz really meant it when he said that he’d like to try Aoba’s handmade chocolate and only that specific chocolate would make its way into his mouth despite the fact of how he wasn’t a big fan of chocolates. It always made Aoba laugh whenever he thought about the reason as to why Noiz had an opinion towards chocolates. He knew that people who’d gifted him those snacks did it out of good intention.

It’s _Noiz_ ’s fault for being naturally good-looking after all.

With that thought warming up his mind, he started unpacking all the stuff, laying them tidily on the table before he stood back to take a headcount – bittersweet chocolate, cream, Kahlua, macadamia nuts, sprinkles. Good, all checked. A few good minutes glimpse of the food on the table later, he rolled his sleeves up, tied his hair into a high ponytail, then finally, wrapping an apron around himself before he strode towards the counter, all prepared to chop the chocolate into adequate-sized pieces.

“Ouch!”

“Aoba! Are you okay?” Ren jumped onto the counter upon hearing Aoba’s voice, his tail wagging at vicious speed when he noticed the ooze of blood dripping from Aoba’s finger.

“It’s fine, just a cut. Can you help me with the plaster?” Aoba smiled bitterly. In all conscience, it didn’t hurt as much; but it was a chore having to waste time to clean the wound up now, and he was sure that droplets of them had even made their way into the pieces of chocolate.

“Aoba, here.” Ren returned shortly with a box of first-aid kit in his mouth. Setting the utensils aside, Aoba sat on the chair, frowning all the time he was treating his wound and sprung back up again once he was done with it.

“Aoba, do you need to rest for a bit first?”

“It’s fine,” Aoba beamed, then shifting his eyes to the clock – 10:45. “I don’t have much time.”

Noiz never told him if he would be returning early today, which could only mean two things - either he’d be back on time _or_ he might be back earlier than usual. Because Noiz would only notify him if he was to return late just so he wouldn’t worry Aoba. Aoba didn’t want to ask, either. Asking him meant bringing up unnecessary suspicions and for a person as bright as Noiz, he was sure that Noiz would’ve figured out what he was up to the moment he uttered the question.

One hand wiping the sweat off his forehead, Aoba placed heavy cream in a small saucepan, set it into medium heat, and waited while he rearranged the three pieces of chopped chocolate neatly into their respective places. Pouring the scaled cream onto the chocolate then pouring the chocolate into moulds was a test of ability of its own. His face patched with dried cream, his eyes remained focused as he decorated the mould with a finishing touch of chopped nuts. It was already 12:00 when he set the almost finished chocolates into the refrigerator and there was nothing left for him to do until Noiz returned, which was a huge mystery of its own.

Slumping on the couch, he wiped the sweat off his face, hugging Ren with one arm then closed his eyes. The chocolate tasted good when he tried it out earlier – not too sweet, not too bitter. He wasn’t sure if it was what Noiz would like but at the very least, they weren’t too horrible-looking when he set them aside for cooling.

For all he knew, Noiz might even like it very much and now all he could do was wait.

And pray for the best.

It was 17:00 when he found himself staring a bit too habitually at the time. Noiz hadn’t shown any signs of returning yet. In fact, it was nerve-wracking considering how Noiz would usually be back by this time already. He was about to pick up his Coil just so he could send Noiz a quick message when his Coil rang, catching him off guard.

“Hello? Theo?”

“Ah, Aoba-san!” Theo’s voice vibrated from over the phone. Aoba could crudely hear hints of rustling sounds from the other side.

“What’s the matter?” It was odd for Theo to call at this time; weirder for him to be making the call instead of Noiz.

“We – I mean, me and Brother – are stuck in a meeting and Brother has forgotten an important file in the room. I’m asking someone to go over to pick it up now, so thought of telling you beforehand.”

Stuck in a meeting? Noiz didn’t mention anything about it.

“Aoba-san?”

“Ah, oh, okay, I see,” Aoba quickly returned to himself. It sounded important. Would the person make it on time? “It’s okay, I’ll send it over.”

“Huh? But—“

“It’s fine. Not like I don’t know where you work anyway,” Aoba chuckled.

This wasn’t part of the plan but priorities were priorities. If Noiz was occupied by something else that was more important than a ephemeral celebration, it couldn’t be helped then.

“Are you sure, Aoba-san?”

“Uhuh,” Aoba responded, taking his apron then his high ponytail off before he discarded them to a side. “I’ll be there in… let’s say, half an hour? Would that be okay?”

“…Oh, sure. I’ll let Brother know. Thanks for helping.”

“You’re welcome. So what’s the document Noiz had forgotten?”

 

Frankly speaking, it was way too uncanny for Noiz to forget something in the house. He’d never forgotten about anything before and he was also the last person Aoba knew who would forget something as important as a working document.

The weather was slightly cold when he walked out of their apartment, the February wind blowing savagely right at his face. Pulling his scarf securer around his neck, Aoba held the document tight in his chest, taking hasty footsteps towards where he found a bus station located just right beside of their apartment. He’d been a regular at Noiz’s company, having worked there himself for a few times. But with the winter wind distracting most of his thoughts, he started to feel that it was taking way longer than usual to reach his destination, which only made him even more edgy considering how urgent Noiz and Theo needed this very piece of document he was supposed to deliver now.

When he finally reached the tall building, he hove his scarf down, letting out a relieved smile before he stepped into the place, immediately feeling eyes on him while he walked towards the receptionist.

“Hi, sorry, I’m looking for Theo,” he said, his Germany not perfectly fluent but good enough for the perky girl behind the counter to understand him.

“Mr.Seragaki, it’s a pleasure seeing you again.”

“Haha, thank you,” Aoba returned her smile.

“I’ll connect to Mr.Theo. Please wait for a second.”

And so he waited. People around him were already leaving the place, while some merely sat in the lobby area, seemingly waiting.

“Mr.Seragaki, would you mind sitting down for a moment? Mr.Theo would be coming down shortly.”

“Oh, sure.” Now he would be joining this group of people. Hugging the document tight against his chest, he chose a couch in a far corner, letting himself loose and once again, returning his vision to the passers-by.

What was taking Theo so slow, though? Isn’t this an important document that they’d need to use _now_? He was completely side-tracked by a man who was speaking in quick German in one corner with another lady who seemed to be a co-worker when he felt a pat on his shoulder.

“Theo! I’ve been wait—ah.”

Well, this was unexpected.

“Noiz,” he said.

“Disappointed to see me instead?” Noiz had his coat on, scarf enfolded around his neck with one hand on his briefcase. He didn’t seem at all anxious for Aoba’s reason being here and while Aoba ogled at him, he elevated a smile, then coming face-to-face with Aoba to support Aoba up..

“What are you talking about? I’m more worried of you, for God’s sake. Here’s the document you need.”

“Ah, this.” But all Noiz did was giving the piece of document a speedy look before he returned his gaze towards Aoba. “Let’s go.”

“What? Wait, isn’t this important?” Aoba waved the file in front of Noiz’s eyes again, which was then responded by a smirk from Noiz instead.

“Important, of course. It’s an important item to bring you to me, after all.”

“W-what…”

“C’mon.”

 It took him a while but when he finally realized what Noiz was implying all he could do was follow Noiz down the street, hand-in-hand, silently hoping for his boyfriend to give him an explanation of what this was all about. He was caught in Noiz’s flow again, a turbulence that pulled him into a black hole of unknown.

Sun sank lower in the sky, tinted with a thick layer of reddish orange as street lights were clicked on, the first star making its appearance from beneath the clouds. The German streets were jam-packed with working adults who’d just gotten off work, most of them in thick coats and scarves draped around their necks; a scenery Aoba had come to familiarize himself with over time. His hand was cold against Noiz’s thick leather glove, but Noiz’s grasp made him feel warmer. He came out in a rush so he wasn’t dressed as fittingly as he wanted and it made him all the more self-conscious considering how both of them were practically _dating_ at the moment.

The quiet atmosphere between them alongside the very foreign surrounding he was in made him feel even more surreal that he was leaving in a city as huge as this, with people that looked nothing like him but more importantly, with a man who he never deemed to be stepping out of his comfort zone with.

“Erm, Noiz?” he asked, tilting his head just enough to make out Noiz’s expression from the side view. “Where are we going?”

Noiz turned to look at him, giving him a dainty smile that had Aoba’s heart flutter, but without giving him an answer.

And soon, with impatience manifesting from beneath his chest, his mind started to gain a running gear by itself, Noiz’s ambiguous gestures had him wondering in confusion. As they walked down the street with more and more passers-by with every new alley they walked, they eventually stopped in front of the door of what seemed to be a florist, where Noiz had Aoba wait outside of it before he walked into the shop, leaving Aoba gaping, whatever Noiz was about to do suddenly making sense in his head.

And sure enough, when Noiz approached with a bouquet of red roses in his hands, he could only stare inanely at his boyfriend, speechless as the flowers were pushed into his hands.

“Did you check out the meaning, by the way?” Noiz teased, fiddling with the petals.

The bouquet was huge, definitely not a mere ten roses. He _did_ checked the meaning out, especially when he’d hold this very promise they had made to each other close to his heart.

But he didn’t expect Noiz to _remember_ it as well.

“I…” he started, eyes fixed on the roses, still at a complete loss of words.

“Hmm?” Noiz hummed, visibly noticed Aoba’s contradiction. As an attempt to help him out, he pulled his distance closer, leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead before they locked intimate gaze with each other again.

“I… didn’t think you would remember it,” Aoba confessed, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Noiz chuckled. “If you remember it, then there’s no reason I wouldn’t.”

“H-huh?”

Noiz sighed, albeit a relieved one. “You don’t think I didn’t notice what you have been up to lately? You were more distracted than usual, and you always had your eyes on chocolate recipes, even when we’re in the bedr—“

“Ah, ah, I know, I know!” Aoba quickly interrupted, the heat escalating to the tip of his ears. “Wait, is that why you made me come out now?”

“You’ll combust if I leave you with your overwhelmed thoughts in that house by yourself. But to be honest, I never expected you to suggest to deliver this by yourself. I only wanted to buy some time so that you could be distracted by something else that wasn’t me.”

“And what’s the point of that if _you_ would be making a special appearance at the door with _this_ bouquet then?” Aoba pouted with a frown.

Noiz shrugged. “I thought it’d be a surprise. But anyway,” lifting a grin, he intertwined their fingers, inching close to brush the tip of his nose against Aoba’s before he continued. “a promise fulfilled. So I’m expecting good chocolate when we go home?”

“I can’t guarantee they’d be good, though…” Aoba mumbled, no longer able to see Noiz in the eyes.

“Hmmm?” Noiz trailed off, a tone that told Aoba of his mocking. “But it has your blood in it?”

“Wha—“ Did he install security cameras in the house or something?

“There’s a wound on your finger,” Noiz explained, caressing Aoba’s bandaged index finger gently at the same time.

“Ah, I cleaned the blood.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Noiz said nonchalantly. “Wouldn’t mind anything of yours.”

“Ugh…”

At the end of the day, none of his qualms were necessary. It wasn’t something he could help but Noiz _always_ knew the best way to keep his thoughts in one piece, having him in in best interest at all times. The bouquet of flower was a tad heavy in his hand, but the grip on his free hand where Noiz was clutching felt weightier. He felt as if he was grasping onto a responsibility that he’d have to carry for the rest of his life, and while he was barely in Germany for a year, he knew that their road was still long, that there would be more incidences like this in the future.

“Maybe you would want to check out what these flowers mean instead,” Noiz voiced out suddenly.

“I’ve already done that,” Aoba said. Well, he wasn’t going to spell it out if that was what Noiz wanted; not on the street.

“Really?” Noiz smirked. “Let me give you a hint: one hundred.”

He didn’t check _that_ far, even though respect, adoration and love was definitely part of the package, which still brought fluster to his cheeks.

Maybe he could do it later, when Noiz wasn’t giving him such a rascally smirk that had given him a good idea that this could be way more embarrassing than whatever the roses themselves implied.

He wished the chocolates would be at least decent.

Even with his blood in it.

 


	6. Sweet of You [Noiz x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does 'sweet' take a form? Or is it just... an illusionary form?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick follow up to [Devotion](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3312710/chapters/13762135). Happy White Day, everyone! :D

Cold sweat ran down his back when he witnessed Noiz lift the chocolate off the elusive plate he’d set them on, scrutinizing the small brown piece of food ephemerally before he put  the whole piece of it into his mouth. He watched warily as Noiz munched on the chocolate, eyes looking at everywhere but Aoba, and ultimately bringing his fingers to his mouth and licking the stains off it.

“H-how was it?” Aoba asked, cagey obvious in his tone.

“Hm?” Noiz hummed instead, not the answer Aoba was anticipating.

“The chocolate,” Aoba spelled, assuming that he hadn’t been clear enough.

“Good,” Noiz said simply, a one-word answer that held Aoba to the edge of his seat. “Didn’t taste your blood, though.”

“I said I cleaned it,” Aoba pouted with a frown.

“Wouldn’t mind,” Noiz lifted a smirk.

“ _I would_ ,” Aoba crossed his arms. “So is it really okay?” he asked again, albeit with a lower voice.

“Hm,” Noiz gave out an appreciative hum, which in turn released a relieved breath out of Aoba.

“Phew, that’s one down then,” he said, leaning back against his chair, head toppling backwards and limbs stretched.

“Why are you so anxious, anyway? It’s only me.”

“It’s because it’s _you_ that I’m anxious.”

“You know I’d eat anything you make,” Noiz emphasized, reaching out for a second piece.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve made that clear enough, thank you very much.” Aoba’s statement sounded like nothing but a sarcastic comeback but Noiz was way too distracted by the chocolate in his mouth to retort with a cleverer one. While Aoba watched him gobble the final piece down his throat, he took the plate away, stood up and walked towards the sink when he felt the familiar hug from behind.

“Hey,” he chuckled, Noiz’s strands of fine hair tickling his cheek when he rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Are you done with everything tonight?” Noiz mumbled, hot breath hitting the fair skin of Aoba’s skin and giving him instant goose bumps.

“Me? Are _you_ done with work?” Aoba questioned instead.

“I’m yours for the rest of the night,” Noiz said, pressing a quick kiss on Aoba’s exposed skin before he embraced him tighter, causing Aoba to elbow him in the chest.

“That’s rare,” Aoba commented, putting the well-washed dish aside and stretched to wipe his hands dry on the hand towel by the sink. “You seem to be pretty busy these days.”

“Felt lonely?” Noiz smirked, earning himself a smack on the forehead.

“Worried,” Aoba corrected. He struggled to turn around, Noiz’s hands trapping him against the kitchen counter as Aoba lifted his hands to cup his boyfriend’s face. “There are dark circles under your eyes.”

“I think that’s from a different reason, though,” Noiz grinned.

Aoba looked away almost immediately. He should’ve told him that he hadn’t been getting enough sleep thanks to their too-frequent night goings-on. But he knew that Noiz wouldn’t listen anyway; his own sleep wasn’t even comparable to be able to hold Aoba’s in his arms after not being able to do so for the entire day.

“So?” Noiz mouthed, purposely inched closer towards Aoba’s face and pressing their foreheads together, his lips brushing against Aoba’s when he spoke. “Shall we?”

He didn’t need to pronounce it too clearly for Aoba to grasp what he meant. Noiz wasn’t too hard to read; his actions louder than words. And while he felt the need to regain his upper hand, Aoba encircled his hands around the other’s waist, pushing himself towards Noiz and kissing him on the lips.

“Insatiable brat,” he chuckled.

 

Valentine’s reminded him of sweet things, and sweet things reminded him of Noiz, which sometimes made him wonder if that was the reason why Noiz was so obsessed with him – because Noiz told him that _he_ was sweet himself, even though he never understood how he could be equivalent to something he never thought he would.

When he tried to labelling Noiz with a specific flavor, he found it close to impossible. Perhaps he was bitter, a bit of sour when he first met him. Then he turned delicately sweet, sometimes a bit salty thanks to jealousy he’d never come to acknowledge. But most of the times, especially when he was faced with Aoba, he was undoubtedly sweet, and two combination of ‘sweet’ wasn’t really too well an idea to keep their relationship diet sensible.

While Noiz gave him nimble kisses on his cheek, he gradually took in Noiz faint scent; it was a mix of cologne he’d wear for work purpose alongside the scent of shampoo from the shower and it was intoxicating Aoba. His lick on his face was hot, and fleeting, short, as if Noiz was tasting him, inch by inch. He could feel the dampness on his face when Noiz left his skin alone, proceeding to lick teasingly on his lips instead and instantly reminding him of a puppy. The thought made him giggle.

“What’s wrong?” Noiz asked, surprised.

“Ah, nothing,” Aoba said. Noiz’s profile looked so elusively enchanting as he hovered over Aoba; most of his features were tarnished by a layer of gradient, exposing only his fine heights of his nose alongside the radiance spark of his lime-green eyes. Enticed by the sight, Aoba raised his hands, pressing his palms against Noiz’s chest as he stroked the coarse skin – gently, sensibly – until Noiz leaned downwards and brushed their noses together that he realized how much he was drunken in Noiz’s mere existence.

“What do you have in mind?” Noiz asked, small curves elevated at the end of his lips. His hands caressed Aoba’s waist in a laid back way, occasionally pinching on the tender flesh just to draw a small laugh out of Aoba.

“Nothing,” Aoba said, swallowing down a moan that almost escaped when Noiz massaged his abdomen. “Just wondering what flavour you are now?”

“Flavour?” Noiz perked a curious eyebrow.

“You know, it’s Valentine’s, and things are supposed to be sweet.”

“Hmmm,” Noiz responded sketchily, diving his head back into Aoba’s neck and sucking on the side of it.

“So I thought… maybe you look really… ah… sweet right now.”

Every touch of Noiz’s was intoxicating him; every skin-against-skin contact blew his mind away. He couldn’t quite focus on what he was saying, all his attention distracted by Noiz’s feathery seduction.

“I don’t know about myself,” Noiz mumbled against his chest after a teasing flick of tongue against Aoba’s nipple. “But _you_ though,” he shot a playful stare upwards, catching Aoba’s gaze. “is beyond sweet.”

As if to emphasize his thoughts, he twirled his tongue around Aoba’s sensitive bud, sucking on it and Aoba felt as if all of his conscious had gone down south, directly to where it should be.

“It’s a bit salty,” Noiz murmured, licking a trail of wet saliva across Aoba’s chest. Then, he sniffed, taking in a long breath. “but still sweet.”

Perhaps their definition of ‘sweet’ wasn’t the same after all. Aoba could never understand how ‘sweet’ can a human’s body be, but the way Noiz was licking, sucking, tasting, _worshipping_ his body made him feel as if he was really devouring him. Does taste come in a different form as well, he wondered. Was whatever Noiz was tasting was something beyond his understanding – something that wasn’t physical, but emotional?

He heard the familiar sound of a bottle cap being popped open, then familiar slicked sound followed by cold wetness on his aroused length, almost causing him to scream out loud.

“I think you’re pretty prepared here,” Noiz provoked. “Let’s check the other side.”

And before he could gather his thoughts, his ass cheeks were being spread open, his hole exposed entirely in front of Noiz, who lifted a profounder grin before he buried his head in between Aoba’s legs, the soft dampness sliding its way into him made Aoba arch his back.

Rimming wasn’t anything unfamiliar to him. He’d gotten a shock the first time Noiz did this to him. But Noiz had told him that there wasn’t anything dirty about him and that he didn’t mind _anything_ of him, regardless of what it was. He wanted to take Noiz’s words seriously, he really did. But his ego was in his way and while he clutched on the mattress, feeling Noiz’s tongue thrusting in and out of his hole, all he ever wanted was for Noiz to stop, for the heat in his head to subside before it could take over his sanity.

“Hmm,” Noiz hummed again, a response which often sent Aoba into a state of stupor. He sat up, gave Aoba’s dick a few pumps before he raised that same hand towards Aoba’s hole, pushing two fingers in at the same time.

“W-woah!” Aoba shrieked, taken completely by surprise.

“Sorry, too rough?” Noiz’s motion slowed down, clear sheen of sweat could be seen running down his body, dripping on the bed.

“I-it’s fine,” Aoba breathed. Supporting himself up by the elbows, he sat, enough to catch sight of Noiz’s half-hard dick.

“Do you need help with that?” he asked, pointing his chin towards the erection.

“If you want to,” Noiz merely grinned. Across time, he’d come to notice how Aoba wasn’t one to be taken completely of submission. Suggestions like this wasn’t anything unexpected, and Aoba knew just the right way to turn him on, through actions, or through words.

His hand was sweaty on his dick, the palm small yet precious as he rubbed on Noiz’s dick experimentally, only going rougher when Noiz thrust his fingers faster. He knew how to stimulate him to maximum hardness, the way he pulled on his piercings with just the right strength had told Noiz so. And when he pulled his fingers out, Aoba stopped pumping him as well, laying back on the bed, head fell back on the pillow as he pulled his legs up by the back of his knees.

“C’mon,” he smiled faintly.

Noiz didn’t need to be told twice. He pushed into him with one pointed thrust, their bodies connected in the most fervent way, their sweat, their moans and their heat mingled and combined with each other. They no longer knew what the best way to call each other’s names was – loud, long shriek or short, pointed moans; anything was fine, even when they shut each other up with deep, passionate kiss, they could feel themselves melting in the course of heat, raw desire completely overtaking their rational thoughts. Noiz would always look at Aoba when he was about to cum, as if he was asking him for his permission. But he didn’t need to; he could cum all he wanted; in Aoba, out of Aoba, anywhere, and Aoba would still accept him regardless. And this time, when he decided to pull himself out right before he cum, spilling his semen all over Aoba’s body while Aoba hit his own climax upon feeling Noiz’s scorching friction of his piercing along his dick, he knew that he’d done it on purpose.

“Ugh… Noiz…” he bubbled the last of his name out while his body jerked from overstimulation, his eyes rolled back into his head, toes curled while he released the last drop of his seeds. He felt kisses on his cheek again, opening his eyes just in time to see Noiz dipping his finger into their semen on Aoba’s body, smearing and mixing them together before he brought one finger to his lips.

“Noiz!” Aoba yelled, his half-gone conscious returned to him immediately.

“Well, this is bitter,” Noiz commented with a lick on his finger.

“What do you expect?!” Aoba growled with thick blush on his face.

“You look really sweet when you cum, though,” Noiz continued, pressing their bodies together, the slimy feeling of cum smearing across their skin had Aoba pushing him away. “I’d like to see you lose yourself to me more often.”

“As if we haven’t been doing this frequent enough,” Aoba grumbled. His strength was no match to Noiz’s weight, or perhaps he’d just cum that he’d exhausted most of his energy. Letting out a small chuckle, he ruffled Noiz on the hair instead, taking pleasure in the small curious look Noiz bear on his profile before he pulled him over and pressed his head against his neck.

“I kinda understand what you meant by me being sweet now,” he whispered, slowly drifting off to sleep. “It’s how you feel inside, right? Not exactly how I really taste like.”

If Noiz had retorted, he wasn’t able to hear it. Comforted by that thought, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep. So it was an emotional thing after all. And perhaps after this, he’d come to _really_ taste the sweetness on Noiz’s lips when he kissed him, or even, when he was to give him a stare that told Aoba that _he_ was the sweetest thing to him after all.

Valentine’s or not.

 


	7. For You, With Thanks [Noiz x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gratitude comes in many forms -- some physically, some emotionally.  
> But there's only one type of gratitude Noiz would never be able to speak out loud, because a simple 'thank you' and an 'I love you' would never be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's 2017! \o/  
> As with every year's tradition, I'm continuing the Make Love series this year too (this is my third year, wow!), writing up to White Valentine's.  
> For this year, I'll be using the theme of flowers as prompts for each story. I have five lining up now and still counting :D
> 
> The requests were prompted on [Tumblr](http://shinocchidesu.net), and this first request is written for [seragaki-yuki](http://seragaki-yuki.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr, who requested for **NoiAo** and **Rose**.
> 
> Thank you for your consistent support and request! I hope you have a great Valentine's, and definitely hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it too :D
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated if you enjoyed this story <3

> **Bouquet of Roses**
> 
> **Flower Language: Gratitude**

 

_Thank you_.

Two words he never knew the meaning of, two words he never deemed necessary. If there’s one thing he ever needed to be thankful of, it’s always himself – for having the courage to release himself off the melancholy that was his caged home, for pursuing salvation he very much deserved. That’s why, the two words never sounded sincere in his ears, regardless if they were spoken to him or if he was the was speaking them.

They were nothing more than a chivalrous speech, very much formal, and above all, reminded him of the unpleasant days he never wanted to revisit.

But, as with how he’d decided to change the mind-set he held towards things that he never reckoned possible, he started seeing the two words a bit more different than how he used to perceive them.

And it’s all thanks to that one person that he’d come to understand the two words in a whole new perspective – one that’s genuine, but heartfelt and exquisite all the same.

All of these were only made possible by one person – one whom was the reason why he could be truly thankful to everything and everyone he’d crossed paths with in his entire life, for all reasons possible.

 

* 

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to traveling in this.”

Aoba relaxed his body on the chair, closing his eyes as he spoke, completely lugging words out of his own mind, with no filter whatsoever. He gripped harder on the arm of his chair when the plane started vibrating, a signal of departure, just to find Noiz’s hand on top of his the moment he did.

“You don’t have to get used to it if you can’t,” Noiz said, sounding as off-the-cuff as ever.

Once every three months seemed to be a decent amount of time for one to get used to traveling in a plane. But for Aoba, the first impression he held ever since he first stepped into one of these ‘enormous metal machines’ had been an everlasting trauma for him. He could scarcely bring himself to believe that such a colossal piece of metal could fly and travel in the air, in a speed that was totally out of his own comprehension, and that him, being a tiny human being, could ever bring himself to sit in one, and be expected to act as unruffled as how Noiz did.

“It’s just kind of embarrassing,” he pouted with a frown, finally opening his eyes once the plane has stabled itself in the air. “I still don’t get how you could seem so calm about this whole thing. Don’t you think it’s a bit too far-fetched?”

“What is? That this thing can actually fly?”

“Uhuh,” Aoba said. He glanced out of the window, catching sight of clear blue sky as clouds glided below them before he shunted his attention back to Noiz again, who was still staring at him. “I mean… I know some sort of technical knowledge had made this possible but when you come to think about it… it’s still hard to believe.”

“I understand how you feel, I’d feel the same if I’ve never known how this flying thing works, I guess.”

“You mean to say…” Aoba casted a probing look. “…that you know how this entire thing works?”

Noiz nodded. “I could fly one if necessary. Do you need me to explain?”

“No, no, it’s completely fine,” Aoba hurriedly rejected. “I’m fine with staying in the oblivious bubble.”

He probably wouldn’t get what Noiz meant even if he was to explain anyway.

“If needed,” Noiz continued, grasping his hand just a tad firmer. “I’ll be here to look after you, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Usually, he’d scowl and throw him reproofs about him being embarrassing again but a year after living with Noiz had habituated him with this routine of his boyfriend, knowing that he was doing it out of his own conscious. Noiz was way too blunt, way too heedless of how powerful his words could be and it wasn’t his nor Aoba’s fault to begin with. It’s just how Noiz was – and it’s a quality Aoba had come to adore greatly.

“I know,” he responded with a small smile instead. Leaning his head against Noiz’s shoulder, he felt Noiz’s weight on his head, their fingers intertwined. “I have no doubts about that.”

One year ago, when Noiz had come greeting Aoba in Heibon after three months of his disappearance, Aoba had never once expected himself to be pushed out of his comfort zone in such a spontaneous manner. Germany was a faraway dream; it’s a land that was only a hearsay, never once had he ever imagined himself being able to set his own foot onto this very land. But Noiz took his hand, guided him across the border, and led him into a whole new world that was his. Just like that.

Despite so, having a second home never meant leaving his first home behind. Taking up Noiz’s offer, they now journeyed back to Midorijima once every three months, just so Aoba could catch up with things back home, and just so he could always remind himself that he never once left home.

“You might want to sleep for a bit,” Noiz advised after a moment of shared silence. He pulled the blanket over Aoba, covering him up to his chest, then kissing him tenderly on the cheek. “Don’t want Tae to feel as if I’ve been making life hard for you.”

Aoba chuckled. Noiz had his point, though. Aoba had learned his lesson when he earned worried looks from his grandmother the first few times he stepped into the house with heavy head and unfocused attention. Returning Noiz’s kiss on his cheek, he cuddled by Noiz’s side, feeling Noiz’s fingers caressing him gently on the hair before his conscious left him, leaving him in the heartening thought of being able to see home again the next time he woke.

 

Midorijima had a spoor of its own – the sentimental air of normalcy wrapping him in a sense of warmth that had his muscles relaxed out of instinct from the stretched plane ride. The smaller town was way too different from Germany, but both of them were his homes and both being places that held momentous impact to him.

Noiz probably saw it from a totally different standpoint, though. Midorijima was once his escapade, after all. Aoba never knew what Midorijima meant to him now – did it still carry the same implications as how he once viewed it? Or did things change across time now that he’d moved forward and was no longer constricted by his chained past?

He never knew if Noiz liked returning to this place, even. It probably held memories that Noiz never wanted to be reminded of, things that he was once so grotesquely ignorant towards, including truth about himself. He never found the chance to ask him anything about it, either. Probably he didn’t have the answer yet, and if Aoba had to wait, he would – until when he was ready to open up to him.

“Granny, I’m home!”

He took his shoes off at the front door, immediately hearing furious footsteps stomping towards their direction.

“No need to shout!” Tae reproved, resulting in a bitter-looking response from Aoba. “I’m making dinner, put your stuff upstairs and stay put till then.”

“Do you need help?” Aoba offered straightaway.

“It’s fine,” Tae waved her hand. “You just landed, you must be tired, right? Get some rest.”

It’s an offer they’d happily take. It’d be a lie if Aoba was to say that he wasn’t at all fatigued from his flight. Sometimes he wondered if it was all thanks to his age catching up that he felt so easily exhausted like this, but whenever he was to voice that very concern out, Noiz would always give him a look that spelt of intense tease then making him regret every other word he’d ever said to him.

“Ahhhhh,” he stretched noisily as he collapsed on his bed, leaving Noiz to place their luggage in a corner of the room. “This room still feels the same every time I come back.”

It’s as if he’d never left.

With a smile, Noiz joined him on the bed, leaning against the wall and pulling up his Coil.

“Work?” Aoba slanted towards him.

“Just a bit,” Noiz responded.

_Being a busy man sure is tough_ , Aoba thought. He balanced his weight against Noiz’s body, a virtuous attempt to distract his younger boyfriend before he found his hand on Noiz’s, a clear call-out for attention.

“You’re supposed to be on a holiday,” he reminded with a frown. “Even the most intelligent man like yourself need a break once in a while.”

Noiz’s best distraction was Aoba – an effective solution of its own, as always. He stared at Aoba, motion hesitated for five whole seconds before he sighed softly. Dismissing all his Coil screens, he snaked a hand around Aoba’s waist, bringing him so close that the space between them felt way too cramped to move.

“Lonely?”

“Well…” Aoba looked away. “I just don’t want you to over-exhaust yourself.”

He knew everything Noiz had done was for him. But he needed no lavish lifestyle, no materialistic parodies. He only wished that Noiz wasn’t pushing his own limits for his sake and that he was taking care of himself without being overwhelmed by complicated real life matters that sometimes could be a bit too heavy for a twenty-year-old to shoulder.

“Hmmm… Then shall I focus on you then? Is that what you’re trying to say?” His familiar smirk drawn on his face, he slanted closer, lips brushing against Aoba’s soft cheek.

“You’re saying it like I’m the insatiable one here.”

“Aren’t you?” Noiz countered. Taking Aoba into a feverish kiss, he uttered heatedly. “But I’ll admit defeat this time. _I’m_ the one in need here, can you help me out for a while before dinner?”

“Seriously, you…”

And sometimes, Aoba hoped that he could be as outspoken with his problems as he could when he was aroused, because then, Aoba probably would be in a more sensible state to handle him, not like the mess he’d always end up to be under the influence of their carnal needs.

 

There’s never a routine to what they would do when they were back in Midorijima. They’d stay in Aoba’s house, sleep in his room, cramping on the same bed, then waking up to find Tae preaching them on how they’d always be children when it came to taking care of their own daily routines. After which, they’d lounge themselves in the living room, just having casual conversations with Tae, catching up and sometimes simply sitting around.

There were no burdens whatsoever when they were at home, as if they’d transported into a new world that was the epitome space for them. They weren’t obliged to follow any schedules, nor did they ever want to be. But this time, as Aoba paced into the room after a good shower, he found Noiz still fondling with his Coil, seemingly looking for something.

“Huh?”

Noiz looked over his shoulder. He’d noticed him when he walked into the room but he was too late, too suspicious to keep things out of the way so he simply let Aoba peek at the content he was looking at, yet unable to summon any coherent response while Aoba ogled at the screen.

“Noiz…” Aoba looked at him, still wide-eyed, while Noiz averted his gave.

“I thought we should meet with some people this time,” was all Noiz had to say before Aoba held two fists against both sides of his head.

“Awwww, you’ve grown, I see. Good, good.”

Noiz clicked his tongue, clutching both of Aoba’s wrists and towed him over so that he could sit in between his legs.

“We didn’t get to see them the last time we were here, no? I thought it might be good if we can catch them this time. Besides, I figured you might want to see them too.”

“Are you sure _you_ aren’t the one who wants to see them?” Aoba smirked.

Noiz looked away, but not quick enough to hide the faint fluster Aoba had caught on his face.

“Okay then, since you insist,” Aoba continued mocking. “I’ll make the call, you ask them out?”

“What? Why would I—“ Noiz refuted but Aoba was already putting up a hand, shutting him off, as the dial tone from the Coil rung.

The moment the call was picked up, he shifted it towards Noiz’s direction, still grinning.

“Go on, he’s waiting,” Aoba whispered.

“ _Hello? Aoba? You’re back?_ ”

He’d never forget this voice. Their interactions were minimal but every one of them had made an impact towards him, in one way or another. It’d been a long time since they talked, let alone having a proper conversation. But now, as the voice resounded loudly in the room, he suddenly knew nothing of what to talk anymore. A nudge from Aoba later, Noiz swallowed down his hesitance, coughed lowly before he spoke,

“Hey.”

The voice halted from the other side. But was quick to salvage its composure.

“Ah, it’s you.”

He remained silent.

Having proper conversation with this man was hard, and it wasn’t even the day of their meeting yet.

 

Nothing about growing up was ever just about what the naked eyes could see. It was also about how one came to accept things the way they could have been. And of course, it’s also about how Aoba had come to see Noiz considering steps that had never crossed his mind, then taking actions for things knowing that was the ideal choice for them to move into a better direction. It’s an attribute that Aoba had come to appreciate prominently – it’s _growth_ in Noiz that had Aoba feeling like he’d never been so proud of himself for being able to support him as Noiz wandered out of his comfort shell.

Even when Noiz still portrayed palpable inelegance -- even a tipoff of hesitance -- when he was faced with an acquaintance that he never once crossed pleasant path with, Aoba knew that it was only a matter of time before he could bring himself to converse normally with him – like a friend, like a pair of brothers, like how Aoba could.

“Ha…”

Koujaku’s sigh broke the stillness between them. Despite the buzz around Black Needle, they found a discomforting sort of silence spread in between them, as if they were trapped in this bubble where none of them were supposed to talk while Mizuki relentlessly shot them a tongue-in-cheek gaze, alongside a chortling Aoba, who had evidently failed to keep his amusement out of sight. Noiz regretted the moment he sat in front of the counter, where they found Koujaku upon entering the shop, feeling that this might be the worst decision he’d made in his entire life; both Aoba and Mizuki’s purposeful mocking wasn’t helping the slightest in making him feel less so.

 “Don’t you have anything to tell me since you’re the one who’d asked me out?” Koujaku snapped at Noiz, whose glass of cocktail halted before it could meet his lips.

“I see you’re still the same.” He elevated a sideway glare, tone cold and unfriendly. “Still impatient and nothing more but an uncivil man.”

“You—“

“Now, now, Noiz doesn’t mean what he said, does he?” Mizuki hurdled in between them, hastily slipping a new glass of cocktail towards Noiz’s direction while Aoba elbowed Noiz with a frown.

“You didn’t change too, still the brat with a poisonous mouth,” Koujaku growled. “And here I thought you’ve grown and are matured enough to know when not to let your emotions control your head.”

“Says the hot-blooded man,” Noiz said in a whisper, leisurely tasting his new glass of cocktail, eyes averting Koujaku.

“Noiz grew, he really does,” Aoba defended. He’d been expecting this. To be honest, he’d be surprised if they could talk like everything that had happened between them was non-existent despite not meeting each other for a long time. It’s just how they worked; it’s how their dynamics refused to harmonize with each other not until when time made the decision for them.

“I wonder,” Koujaku echoed Noiz’s impassive stare.

Noiz drowned his drink down his throat, placing the empty glass on the counter, no longer possessed any intention to argue further. This wasn’t his intention to meet with him today. He knew Koujaku meant no harm, it’s all his ego that was doing the talking for him.

“I still don’t like you but I guess this is something I need to tell you,” he said, sounding less hostile than before.

Koujaku looked up from his drink as well, seemingly spotting the shift of vein in Noiz’s tone.

“Thank you.”

He almost dropped his glass.

“What?”

Noiz wasn’t looking at him, pretending as if he hadn’t heard him and urging Koujaku to lean nearer instead, his expression a mix of bewilderment and curiosity before he clung his arm around Noiz’s neck.

“What’s that? I can’t hear you. This place is too noisy. What did you just say?” he asked, voice a profound heft of tease as Noiz struggled out of him.

“Too bad then,” was all he said but it was enough for Koujaku to laugh out loud as he palmed Noiz hard on the back.

“I take back what I said,” he said in between laughs. “You _have_ grown, indeed.”

Once he settled down, he continued, now calmer, but serious all the same.

“I don’t know what’s that for but you’re welcome.”

He didn’t need to know, it wasn’t Noiz’s intention for him to know either. He merely felt the need to thank Koujaku for looking after Aoba way before Noiz got to know him. Aoba must have gotten himself into countless scrapes when he was younger, and it was all thanks to both the men in front of him – Mizuki and Koujaku – whom had kept him safe.

Without them, Noiz wasn’t even sure if he’d ever have the chance to meet Aoba. And without them, Noiz would never come to notice how being associated with a friend felt like, even though they still had a long way to go.

That’s why, this **_gratitude_** was for them – to two people Noiz never thought he’d spell his appreciation towards.

 

He never knew how to define ‘family’. For him, it’s nothing more but a group of people sharing the same blood and living under the same roof, supplemented by obligations and expectations he never signed up for. Family was a sort of shackled burden he was entrusted with ever since he was born. It’s a sort of commitment he never wanted to be involved in.

_That_ was what a family once meant to him.

But sitting in the dining room, surrounded by delicious-smelling food alongside two persons he’d come to call them as his family made him feel otherwise. In this ‘family’, no obligations were expected of him. None of the people in this ‘family’ shared the same blood, nor did they share the same heritage. Perhaps one year ago, he’d come to question what these people wanted for him for including him in this sort of scene he never deemed himself worthy of. _Why_ would they be nice to him? They didn’t know each other for long, he had nothing to offer them. But being here with the Seragaki family scrubbed all those questions out of his head, all done effortlessly. He was already used to Tae’s gaudy reprimands when he became too picky with his food. He was already used to his bowl piled up with vegetables and meat and food he had no idea of the name.

It was a wonderful sensation to felt so belonged – to become used to being part of a _family_. It felt natural, earnest, and everything Noiz had never felt in his life.

As he sat in the living room with Tae, he merely stared at the television -- the only clatter that was present in the space – being unsure of what to say or what to do, before Tae broke his contradictions.

“How has he been holding up?”

It’s a question she’d always ask Noiz without fail whenever they were to share personal space like this. Aoba was busying himself in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes as Noiz considered, the shadow of his boyfriend flickering ever so often from the corner of his eyes.

“Everything’s good,” he said. He didn’t know what was expected of him, but every word he said was honest.

“I see,” Tae sipped on her tea with a simple reply.

Noiz knew that it wasn’t like she didn’t trust Aoba when Aoba had been recurrently telling her that he’s doing fine but it was precisely because it’s _Aoba_ that had Noiz notice that he tended to put up such a robust front so that others would not need to worry about him, little did he know that that was exactly the reason why both Tae and Noiz came to be so overly concerned towards him.

“I’ll take that he’s adapting well?” Tae continued.

“It sometimes gets too cold and he still gets lost in the city,” Noiz recollected. “Sometimes he’ll miss home.”

“And you’re always there to make sure that he’s alright?”

Noiz smiled. He remembered nights when Aoba would knock on his door, asking if they could sleep together and that he’d cuddle with Aoba under their blankets during cold nights, keeping him warm as he hugged him steadfastly in his arms. He remembered the stable heartbeats he felt from his boyfriend when they shared body heat; he’d spend hours appreciating Aoba’s gorgeous features, reminiscing everything that had happened between them and wondering what he’d done to have known such a magnificent man in his life. Aoba didn’t need to tell Noiz absolutely everything for Noiz to know what he was in his mind and support was the least he could offer him during those times when only each other’s breathings were heard in a mutual space.

Since when did he come to know Aoba like the back of his hands, anyway?

Since when did he fall so deeply in love?

“I do,” Noiz responded at long last. Finally shifting his eyes to look at Tae, he took a breath, then said, “Grandma.”

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

“What’s this all about?” Tae asked, wide-eyed.

“For bringing Aoba in and taking care of him all these years.”

If Tae hadn’t agreed to take Aoba in when he was small, he’d probably still be stranded in the church by the beach, alone and still feeling unwanted. If Tae hadn’t been raising Aoba as if he’s her own grandchild, Noiz would probably never have the chance to meet him, let alone fall in love with him.

“I’m just doing what I feel I should do,” Tae said. She placed the tea cup on the table, then smiled at Noiz. “Thank _you_ for taking care of him. Please take care of him from now on too.”

That goes without saying. With a nod, both of them turned around upon hearing Aoba’s bright voice from the kitchen, asking them if they wanted their desserts now.

It’s something he needed to say, regardless of how many times he needed to say it. At this point, not even words were ever enough to express how he really felt towards Tae.

That’s why, this **_gratitude_** was for her – for taking care of Aoba, and for giving him a place he could call his _family_.

 

Gratitude came in many forms – sometimes in forms that are physical and very much existing, and sometimes in forms that the naked eyes could never see, only to be experienced and felt with emotions. Noiz was never a person with words, even more so when they two very words were in a league way too hard for him to express. He tried, and the reactions he’d received from whom he’d conveyed to were totally within his expectations. They probably never expected it from him, like how he’d never expected it from himself. But yet, they accepted them with no questions asked, sincerely, and with opened arms.

Noiz couldn’t quite believe what made him do so. He never thought there was even a necessity for him to utter anything to another person but the longer time he spent with Aoba, the more protruding he found the change within him. There were chances that would slip past him before he could recognise them. There were times when he took a step too late then finding himself losing the opportunity to do things that he should’ve done. Many of those were fruits of hesitance that he knew was the cause of his suspicions towards the world.

Aoba was the one who’d enlightened him.

When he lied in bed, with Aoba sleeping soundly by his side, he’d come to wonder what would happen to him if he was to lose him all of a sudden. Remorse, definitely. He’d regret everything he never had the chance to express, words he didn’t bring himself to say, and things he never got to do with Aoba. All the conflicted thoughts always had him hugging Aoba firmer in his arms, then accidentally waking Aoba up just to have the other staring blearily at him and asking what is wrong with him.

The trip back to Midorijima this time had served its purpose well. It changed things, even when they weren’t visible yet. His impression wasn’t the same anymore, nor was the perception others held towards him. It’s incredible how opening one’s heart could do to himself. It’s amazing how having Aoba by his side could turn him into a way better person than he already was.

“Ah, Brother! Thank goodness. I was worried that you won’t be home.”

One day before Valentine’s and a week after they’d returned from Midorijima, they found Theo ringing on their interphone, wearing his usual blazing smile as he walked into their house.

“What’s the matter?” Noiz asked as Aoba ran off to make coffee.

“Nothing much,” Theo said with a beam. “I thought of dropping by to visit since we hadn’t been seeing each other for some time now.”

He’d taken a month off. In other words, it’d been almost a month that he hadn’t been seeing Theo now, the person whom he literally meet every day at work.

“I’ll be going back to work in another three days,” Noiz said nonchalantly.

“Still…”

It wasn’t like he didn’t know where Theo was coming from either. Ever since he left his family, he could only imagine how much distress he’d put his younger brother in, haunted by guilt of how he wasn’t able to help Noiz when he needed it. It’s not Theo’s fault; it’s never his fault. But Noiz knew Theo too well to understand that it wasn’t something he could help, despite the numerous times he’d tell Theo that everything was merely his own decision and that there’s no way how Theo would be able to help him when he was so young himself.

What mattered more to him, however, was how Theo had been trying so hard to compensate for what he couldn’t do all these years, just to welcome Noiz back.

“Noiz, you’re always so strict with him,” Aoba interrupted the stroppy silence with a tray of coffee. “Thank you for dropping by, Theo.”

“It’s no problem,” Theo speedily responded. “I hope Midorijima was great!”

“It was! I hope you could visit Midorijima with us one day. Right, Noiz?”

Noiz hummed, a good sign of agreement, drawing a perkier radiance on Theo’s face at the same time.

“I’d love to!” he exclaimed. “I’ve never been out of this country before. I’d love to see the place where Aoba-san grew up in!”

“Sure, sure,” Aoba grinned. “Let’s plan it for the next vacation, shall we?”

“I hope it’s not a bother, though…” Theo’s voice turned small at the end, his gaze dithered at Noiz’s direction, who was sipping soundlessly on his coffee.

“It’s not,” Noiz followed up, evidently noticed Theo’s stare, before he smiled at his brother, a gesture that had taken Theo back. “We can arrange it. I can show you around.”

“Really?!” Theo’s smile returned to his face. “That’s amazing! I can’t wait for it!”

“Thank you, Theo.”

He seemed to have picked the wrong timing because the moment he spoke, both Theo and Aoba halted in their motions, staring at him with jaws dropped before he nippily looked away, noticing how he’d miscalculated the timing.

“Heh… What’s this, Noiz-kun? You’re surprisingly friendly these days,” Aoba teased with a smirk.

“Not really. It’s normal.”

“Normal, huh?” Aoba’s smirk lifted higher. “So, as you can see, your brother is just trying to act cool all this while but in real, he’s actually just a cute brat. Hahaha!”

“A-ah… it’s no problem, Brother,” Theo muttered his delayed response. “I only want to help you as much as I could.”

That’s what Noiz wanted for Theo too, but he’s in too much mortification to say anything else so instead, he stood, totally ignoring Aoba’s suggestive smirk and walked into the kitchen, already trying to erase whatever that had happened off his mind.

But he was glad that he could say it. Theo had been one of the reasons why he could bring himself up, why he could stand up again every time life tried to tell him that he couldn’t. Theo was the reason why he was still alive, after all.

That’s why, this **_gratitude_** was for Theo – for the only family he had that was connected with his blood, and for having faith in him, when he once didn’t for himself.

 

“Say… you’ve been acting very differently lately.”

Noiz looked up from his Coil, meeting eyes with Aoba, who was slanting against his door, a towel on his head, damp trails of water droplets visible on his shirt.

“Different? How so?” Noiz asked, keeping his Coil screens away.

“Hmm… How should I put it…” Aoba hove the towel off his head, crossed his arms and strode towards his boyfriend. The room was dimmed with merely the table lights on, underlining Noiz’s features in a form of gradient silhouette, his lime-green gaze twinkling with unmistakable fervour.

“More… blunt? It’s not like you aren’t already but…”

He understood what Aoba was trying to say; he’d noticed it himself after all. Lifting himself off the bed, he walked towards the door, closing it, and coming back to hug Aoba around the waist.

“W-wait!”

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? What are you doing?”

“Didn’t you come in to join me in bed?”

“Since when did I say so, you perverted brat!” Aoba screeched, but that only had Noiz tightening his grasp around his waist.

“Not in the mood?”

“…I didn’t say that but seriously, you need to stop interrupting me when I’m talking about something else.”

“Isn’t this a better topic to explore?” Noiz grinned, nuzzling the tips of their noses together before he pressed a soft kiss against Aoba’s cheek.

Aoba felt cold in his arms, a result from the cold shower. Yet, he’s startlingly comforting, the chilling sensation spread right through his heated skin and giving him a sort of relief that Noiz couldn’t help but cling onto.

“You know what day tomorrow is, right?” Noiz whispered in his ear after a teasing lick on his ear shell.

“Ah… I thought you don’t care about those kind of thing.”

“If it gives me an excuse to love you more, then I don’t mind paying attention to it.”

Aoba wasn’t wrong, though. He couldn’t care less about festive seasons or special days but what concerned him more was how he never seemed to be able to do enough for Aoba. If whatever these days were could give him more reasons to do as much as he could for Aoba, to let Aoba know how much he meant to him, then he’d happily follow the norms without a second thought.

“Shall we go to bed, then?” he smirked, already lifting Aoba up and having Aoba’s legs snug sturdily around his body.

“Can’t even wait till the special day, huh?” Aoba mirrored his grin.

“Say for yourself,” Noiz retorted, purposefully flicking a playful finger against Aoba’s half-erected dick. “Well, we can do something more tomorrow, I guess.”

“W-wait, wait, what do you mean by that?” Aoba struggled as his back hit the bed, with Noiz hovering over him, looking like a wolf ready to devour his prey.

“You’ll know. What’s the point if I spoil the surprise now?”

He loved Aoba. He never said it out loud, not even once, and he still wondered why he hadn’t done so. He never knew when the right time to say it was, nor did he ever find the need to tell Aoba when Aoba obviously already knew about it. But yet, when he was feeling so much emotions and so much needs towards Aoba at a time like this, he wanted nothing but to express the best way he could, to tell Aoba exactly how much he craved for him and how much he loved him and how _thankful_ he was that perhaps words themselves were never enough to express every scrap of emotion he felt.

He kissed him over and over again, making sure that Aoba could feel every ounce of passion he was pouring on him now. They shared body heat, body liquid, and by the time Noiz was inside Aoba, Aoba was already in an aroused mess that conscious was no longer concise and self-restraint was no longer needed.

What’s the limit for a person to love another person? Noiz contemplated as he hit Aoba to the core, melting in him, every inch of his body pulsating with intensity supplemented sweetly with every sound Aoba made.

Is this the limit of how much he could love someone? What else could he do to love him more?

How else could he tell Aoba how much he meant to him?

He couldn’t bring himself to say any words – not even a simple thank you, nor a simple I love you. Because those weren’t simple at all. Those words were like a curse, bind within the both of them and connected by invisible red bonds that no one but they themselves could see.

Since when did they ever need words to understand each other’s feelings, anyway?

They needed nothing of that. No words, nothing at all.

From the moment they gazed each other in their eyes, the moment they returned each other smiles, then kisses, they already knew what was in each other’s minds after all.

It’s just as simple as that.

And even when Noiz’s ‘something more’ came in the form of a bouquet of red roses, all Aoba could do was accepting it with no questions asked. Noiz had his own way of communication, a method that belonged only to Aoba. There was no card, no cheesy writing – nothing at all.

Just a very loud nonverbal message that Aoba could hear from him ever since the moment they made their vow with each other.

 

_` Gratitude.` _

_` Thank you for being mine.` _

_` Thank you for accepting me for who I am.` _

_`Thank you for your reply`._

 

All they ever needed was each other’s presence.

\-- and that was all.


	8. One Last Vow [Mink x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If they have something they could give each other to express their thanks, that'd be...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So [Cyna](https://twitter.com/cynabrum) appeared to be [my Valentine's this year](https://twitter.com/shinocchidesu/status/831404757633806336) so what is a Valentine's without as present and here I am, with a gift, written for you.  
> It's amazing how you choose 2 because behind the poison lies a different flower and the flower you happened to pick was **chrysanthemum** , which means **devotion, loyalty, and honesty**. While for friendship, it also means **long-lasting and genuine friendship** and I truly think that this is a very beautiful thing.
> 
> Happy Valentine's, Cyna! As always, thank you so much for everything and may you be happy always! <3

> **Chrysanthemum**
> 
> **Flower Language: Devotion, honesty, loyalty; everlasting friendship**
> 
>  

The mountain is where time stopped. It’s where he found himself spending hours doing nothing but simply gazing into the distance, letting clouds swirled around him in an icy greeting. He couldn’t recall since when did he become so affectionate towards this very scene, but whenever he craved for a peace of mind, he’d find himself sitting here, shrouded in thick layers of clothing, and merely leasing his mind to drive with the howling wind.

Beyond the mountain lied cubes of tiny buildings, as if he was staring at a painting, a masterpiece he never knew how to appreciate. He knew it was more than the scenery that was boggling his mind. One year ago, this was the exact same place where he found the end to his forlorn tunnel, opening up to a new beginning that had been the life he was living now. One year ago, it was here that he stumbled upon the meaning of his persistence, the reason to his existence, and the definition of connection. He was grateful that he’d listened to his hunch then, even though he had all the reasons to give up. If not, he wouldn’t be sitting here now, enjoying the graceful breeze, being profoundly contented with the very fact that he could now do more than just chasing and being chased.

He stretched loudly, stroking Ren’s fur, who was sitting on his lap, sheltered in a small blanket Aoba had brought along for him.

“Aoba, are you feeling better?”

“Hm?” Aoba relaxed his body, supporting his weight with his hands as he hummed nonchalantly. “What do you mean?”

“You would always come here when you have a lot of things in your mind. Even before you left, your brain radar has been more rapid than usual.”

“Really?” He didn’t even realize it himself. “I guess I only needed a breather. But I’m fine now, don’t worry,” he ended with a rough ruffle on Ren’s head.

He wasn’t sure if he was thinking too much but there wasn’t a time when he ever stopping brooding over things anyway. Many things had changed, that’s for sure. But what had been unswervingly perturbing him was if things were changing for the better, or for the worse.

“You should head back soon, it’s turning dark,” Ren advised with a lick on Aoba’s hand.

“You’re right,” Aoba grinned. “Mink might get worried too so—ah.”

Upon standing up, the very man he’d just mentioned stood right behind him, bearing a blank expression that had Aoba smiling awkwardly.

“Mink, why are you here?” he asked, wrapping the cloak firmer around his body as he walked towards Mink.

“I should be asking you the same question,” Mink said. “Careful not to catch a cold.”

“I’m fine,” Aoba lifted an upbeat beam. “I only needed a breather, that’s all.”

“Are you feeling better now?”

Aoba chuckled. It’s the same question he’s asked twice in less than ten minutes. Nodding, he grasped onto Mink’s arm, urging him to walk.

“Don’t worry too much about me,” he said as they straggled the familiar mountain roads back home. “I’ve gotten used to living here, after all.”

“Is that so?”

He knew that it’s not like Mink was suspecting him or anything, but he also came to understand how overly concerned Mink could be when it came to matters regarding him, even though he’d never once showed Aoba in an outward manner.

“Let’s make hot soup when we get home,” Aoba suggested, rubbing his palms together and borrowing Mink’s body heat as he pressed himself closer.

Mink said nothing, but that’s already an answer of itself. They said nothing more on their way home, their reciprocal silence a soothing sensation they shared between them.

 

***

 

“Hmmm…”

Lying on his bed, Aoba stared inanely at the ceiling, hands folded behind his head.

“What’s the matter, Aoba?”

“Just thinking…” Aoba trailed off.

“What’s bothering you?”

“Hmm…” He didn’t even know where to start even if he wanted to talk to Ren about it. “I don’t know. It’s kind of like…” he broke off, pondering. “…I’m thinking if there are more things that I could do for Mink. I know he told me to stay put and get used to things around here first but I guess I’ve hit my time limit of being protected in my comfort bubble like this.”

“What Aoba means is that you want to do something for Mink? Like working?”

“That could be it, yeah,” Aoba agreed. “But I’m thinking more of like… at this very moment, is there anything at all that I could do for him? I’ve learned most of the cooking traditions here, and I don’t think I’m bad at dealing with odd jobs either.”

“Mink had complimented Aoba just two days ago,” Ren reminded.

“Ah, haha, yeah, you’re right,” Aoba blushed with a tiny chuckle.

“Aoba has been trying your best.”

“And thank you for always being by my side while I try,” Aoba beamed at Ren’s direction.

“If Aoba wants to do something more,” Ren continued, jumping onto the bed and sitting on Aoba’s tummy. “How about chocolates?”

“Chocolates? Mink doesn’t seem like he’d like sweet things, though, so… I’m not sure about that.”

“If they are chocolates from Aoba, I’m sure Mink would eat everything without a second thought.”

Aoba laughed shyly.

“Besides, it’s Valentine’s soon.”

“Oh… Oh, yeah. But I don’t think they celebrate that here, do they?” Aoba’s eyes brightened. Valentine’s, how could he have forgotten about it?

“Don’t think so. But if Aoba needs a reason to do something for Mink—“

“Ah.”

He finally understood where Ren was coming from. With a perky grin, he patted Ren on the head, then hugging him against his chest.

“I guess that will do then.”

It’s probably nothing much. But it’s still something. And if he _really_ wanted to do something more…

His mind glided away with numerous ideas, the thought still bugging him when he woke the next morning, until when he finally decided on one idea that the buzz calmed down.

 

* * *

 

Aoba told him that he was getting used to staying here, but he was never sure of how true it was. Aoba probably never noticed a lot of things about himself, but it was one trait that had come to be so endearing for Mink, something that had triggered that protectiveness from within him.

He didn’t want to probe too much on him, either. Perhaps Aoba needed his own time to ruminate things through and that’s perfectly fine with him. But he couldn’t help but keep a frequent eye on Aoba whenever they were in close contact. Sometimes, he’d find tiny scars on Aoba’s fair skin, figuring that he might have gotten them when he was exploring the forest. And sometimes, he’d come home to delicious-smelling dinner, consisting of an overly salty bowl of vegetables. He’d gobble everything down without a word. It’s nothing to do with however good Aoba was leading his daily lifestyle with him – it was the mere fact that Aoba had been trying so hard that was so loveable to him, after all.

He’d eat everything on the dining table even when Aoba burned every single one of the dishes.

Aoba had been the same ever since Mink came to know him anyway – they very same man who’d voyaged across continents, even though he had no evidences whatsoever if he was still alive, just holding onto this faith he held towards himself and Mink.

He didn’t think Aoba would ever change, even if it’s for him.

And he’s fine with it – he’s fine with Aoba being the way he was.

If there was more that he could do for Aoba, he would with no hesitance whatsoever. If only he knew exactly _what_ he could do for him. Lending more help than he already did would only make Aoba feel as if he’s underestimating him, which wasn’t the case at all. Doing extra would only cause Aoba to be suspicious, knowing that it’s so unlike Mink to be doing more things than the necessary.

But yet, he returned home with his coat pocket a tad heavier than when he left, just to walk into an empty house, smelling of nothing but thick saccharine.

He paced around, looking into the rooms, confirming Aoba’s absence. But the moment he decided that he should probably head to the usual place to find Aoba again, the door opened, revealing Aoba, who seemed to have run his way home.

“M-Mink!” he exclaimed.

“Where have you been?” Mink asked. He squinted at the wrapped item Aoba was hiding behind his back, was about to ask when Aoba sprinted towards him and pulled him over by the wrist.

“C’mon,” he grinned gleefully.

The mountain tracks were already paths they were more than familiar with. Hanging out in the wild, surrounded by small animals as they spent unobtrusive times with each other was an activity they very much enjoyed. Aoba seemed like he knew where he was heading to as he took the lead, guiding Mink deeper into the forest, only to hear Mink releasing a nimble sigh when they came to stand in front of the graves of Mink’s family.

“What do you bring me here for?” Mink asked.

“It’s Valentine’s, isn’t it?” Aoba answered, bringing the wrapped item he’d trying to hide from Mink’s sight out of its hiding and starting to unwrap it.

Valentine’s… He’d heard about it, but never did he ever consider celebrating it. so was Aoba into this kind of thing, then?

“And Valentine’s all about appreciating people you love, right?” Aoba continued. The swathed package was revealed to be a bouquet of white chrysanthemum, the petals of them brittle yet bright under the limited sunlight pouring in between the gaps of leaves. Staring affectionately at it, Aoba caressed a few of the petals before he brought the bouquet into Mink’s hands. “I thought it’s a good time to thank your family for bringing you to me.”

Mink pitched a profound sigh. Exactly _how_ could he ever tell what Aoba like for real? _How_ could he keep up with Aoba’s pace, synchronizing his thoughts with his, letting him do things before Aoba could take the initiatives he’d never be able to predict?

“I managed to find some of these in the mountains,” Aoba quickly said, noticing that he might have unintentionally upset Mink.

“In the mountains? All by yourself?” Mink mouthed.

“…Yeah,” Aoba said. “There’s no flower shop in town and it’s too late to plant them myself so—“

Mink had lugged him into a hug before he could finish his words, the bouquet of flowers constrained in between them before Aoba speedily pulled it out of the way.

“M-Mink?!”

“Seriously, you…”

When would Aoba finally tell him things so that they could do everything _together_? Was he so unreliable? Was he still intimidating him? How could he break the ice between them then?

“Mink…” Aoba called out. “I’m sorry, are you angry?”

“I’m not,” Mink said almost immediately.

“Oh.”

He could feel Aoba’s hasty heartbeats against his own chest, knowing that his own wasn’t any better. It’s nothing much, it really wasn’t. Everything Aoba did was nothing flabbergasting but it was all the effort and thoughts that were the motive for his behaviour that was what exactly had been flattering Mink all the same.

“Let’s put this on the grave, shall we?” Aoba muttered at long last. Releasing him, Mink took the bouquet out of his hands, walked with him towards the graves and place it on one of them.

“Thank you,” Aoba mumbled by his side as he closed his eyes, articulating his prayers and mouthing his own thanks.

“Aoba.” Aoba must have spaced out as he waited because then he snapped back with a surprised look when his name was called, lifting a clumsy smile as he did.

He searched in his coat pocket, finding what he was looking for and paced closer towards Aoba, all the while witnessing the shocked expression on Aoba’s face.

“Mink, this is…”

The blue ornament gleamed faintly under the sunlight, the three feathers dangling from the end of it, a long swipe of tail that looked like a phoenix tail. Mink smiled, turning Aoba around so that his back was facing him before he took the ornaments Aoba was already wearing on his hair off, one by one, until when his hair was cleared off everything that he stopped.

“Thank you for everything.”

For being devoted, for holding faith and for choosing to stay by his side, even when he never thought himself worthy of him.

“W-what are you talking about?” Aoba stuttered, still visibly dumbfounded. “Just in case you have forgotten about this but it’s my own decision to be here with you, so don’t you ever think about unnecessary things like wanting to chase me away or that I’m feeling obliged or forced to be here.”

He smiled. Aoba was dangerous – treacherously conscious of how well his thoughts worked. It’s probably a gift of his that had drawn both of them together, a trait that was also what had changed Mink’s perception towards life and death.

With elusive motions, he started tinkering with Aoba’s hair, pulling it into a high ponytail and tied it steadfastly with the blue ornament he’d shown Aoba earlier. The long streaks of the feathers fell elegantly on Aoba’s shoulders, then his back, creating a beautiful gradient of soft wave that was a reflection of his wavy long hair.

“B-by the way…” As he allowed the silence to linger, Aoba had turned around, his hair swaying gently with the passing breeze. “I have something I need to give you too.”

He stared as Aoba placed a small box of what seemed to be pieces of chocolates in his hand, some of crooked cube shapes, some of attempted by failed shapes of love.

“I know they don’t look very pleasing to the eyes but I can assure you that they taste good, I tried them. At least… I hope…”

Aoba averted his eyes, no longer knew what else he could say.

“Valentine’s, huh?” was all Mink said before he stroked Aoba on the hair, a smile bracing his features, as he kissed Aoba on the forehead.

“It’s an appreciation for a totally different reason – a gratitude that was yet another affirmation of long-lasting devotion, of trust, and of absolute honesty two persons who were deeply connected would share.

And if had to be loyal and devoted to only one person in his entire life, it’d definitely be Aoba.

That was something he had absolutely no doubts towards.

 


	9. Happiness [Clear x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happiness is just so simple, just so near. Happiness has always been by their side.  
> Their time ticks like a time bomb, seconds fall like sand in an hourglass.  
> But they have better things to do than counting down time.  
> Something way more important.
> 
> _Taking place in between Disc 2 Track 4 and Track 5, Clear's Drama CD_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by [Firo](http://firofee.tumblr.com/)! Thank you so much for requesting this, Firo, this flower, this language, is perfect for Clear & Aoba ;v; Happy Valentine's, i hope you had a great one and I'm so happy I'm able to write for you. I hope you like it! :D <3
> 
> Written as part of the flower theme this year, the prompt was **Violet** , with the flower language " **Let's take a chance on happiness** ". Thank you for giving me a chance to write for Clear/Aoba again, this prompt is perfect :')
> 
> Also, just in time for Clear's birthday. Happy birthday, Clear! <3

> **Violet  
>  Flower Language** **: "Let's take a chance on happiness.** "
> 
>  

_` “I think it’s a beautiful thing if our time could stop together. Leaving one behind is a painful thing but for now, let’s treasure what we can do, and live the best out of this life, shall we?”` _

It’s an oath they made to each other, a genuine wish they hoped to carry on their shoulders for the rest of their life. There wasn't any absolute confirmation to when they’d be able to walk this path of ultimate beginning and ending of what their life story could offer them. But they knew for sure that they’d have each other by their side regardless of what they needed to go through.

And that’s enough.

When they told Tae about their decision to replace Clear’s current body with a substitute Alpha’s one, all Tae did was releasing a sigh then elating a smile before she agreed to it. She’d said that the decision belonged to them and they knew that she wouldn’t disagree with anything they were to plan. But bringing it up was still an agonizing process, even more so when they understood that all Tae wanted for them was their happiness, which they’d been struggling for.

They had time until then: two days. Two days were what Tae had given them. And at the very least, they’d have time to figure things out, set their resolution in stone, and move on.

 

“Well, I guess that settles it,” Aoba said, putting down the Coil as he turned towards Clear’s direction, smiling.

“Is it really okay?” Clear asked, sounding of nothing but a rich indication of hesitance.

“Of course,” Aoba grinned brighter. “I told you not to worry about it and I mean it. Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve taken a break after all.”

“As long as it’s not causing any troubles!” Clear raised his voice.

“Not at all,” Aoba reassured with a pat. “How about you? Spoke to Mizuki?”

“I did!” Clear responded, finally with a beam. “Mizuki-san said it’s fine for me to take a day off today.”

“That’s great! Though I’d be surprised if he said no, haha!”

Packing the rest of his things into his bag, he stood, stretching one hand towards Clear, who was still sitting on the floor.

“Let’s go then, shall we?”

On the night they made their decision, Aoba had proposed that they could probably take some time together today before Clear replaced his body. Clear had no refutations whatsoever. If any, he was more flabbergasted with the idea than anything else. Whatever Tae had told Aoba about spending time on things (or in Aoba’s case, people) had unmistakably taken a toll on him. Being blinded by his own frustration was something he regretted greatly, but he’s not too late for him to do something about it now, and Clear’s reaction when he suggested the full-day date clearly told him enough about how much he’d been inadvertently overlooking Clear while he concentrated on his studying.

So early in the morning, he made a hasty call to Haga-san, asking for a day off, and now they’re ready – now both standing in front of the Seragaki household, about to journey into a date to make up for the time lost.

“Where are we going, Aoba-san?” Clear asked, enthusiasm resounded off his jittery vibe.

“Hmmm, let’s see,” Aoba pondered. “Remember those activities you came upon about being a ‘Good Partner’?”

“Ah… haha, yeah, of course, that's pretty embarrassing,” Clear said as he scratched the back of his head. “What about those?”

“I was thinking if we could try them out.”

“The princess hug?”

“No, the expensive places,” Aoba was quick to retort.

“Ohhhh!” Clear exclaimed. “But princess hug?”

“Anything but that,” Aoba scorned. That’s too embarrassing, and that’s _definitely_ not for him. No way.

“Huh? Then how about formal language?”

“No to that too. Unless,” Aoba filched a playful smirk. “Do you want to stop calling me _Aoba-san_ and call me _Aoba_ instead?”

“Ah, no, no, I can’t do that, absolutely can’t!”

“Well, it’s too bad then,” Aoba said with a victorious mien. “All those aside, we could try out some of the dating guides if you want.”

“But didn’t Aoba say that it doesn't matter?” Clear asked, completely curious.

“Yeah, it really doesn't,” Aoba agreed as they started walking, steps unhurried and casual. “But we can try, I guess. I don’t mind them, either, but I thought… well… I’d like to try everything with you.”

There’s no way Clear could come out with a better refute if Aoba was to put it this way. Aoba could suggest anything he wanted and Clear would be more than happy to comply. But knowing the reason behind why Aoba wanted to do those things did nothing but trigger a ripple of wave within him and that alone had him bouncing in intense anticipation as he spoke to Aoba about all the things he’d jotted down before he created a scene in Heibon back then.

Venturing into Platinum Jail was something they never expected themselves to do. They never found any reason to be back; it was a place where they left their memories behind after all. Above everything else, it was also a place where they were reminded of who they really were, yet it was also a place where their acquaintance was made possible. It was a twisted, mixed feelings of a place but they knew that they’d get through it with time.

They had to.

Platinum Jail preserved parts of its sumptuous setting but ever since it was opened up to the public, many of them whom had never gotten the chance to experience a lavish lifestyle had come to appreciate how different it could be with theirs. Even though expenses were still over the roof, there’re many residents in Midorijima whom can afford just enough when they saved for special occasions. They stood in front of an expensive-looking restaurant for five whole minutes before Ren gave Aoba a full guide of what to do in it that both of them finally had the courage to step into it. It’s nothing like Aoba had ever visited before. It was full when they entered – couples eating side-by-side, droning over lavish-looking wines and in a few corners were businessmen in their grey suits, looking like visitors from a different country, enjoying their cigars as they took leisure time off their routine.

It’s like entering an entirely different world.

“A-Aoba-san, do you think we could’ve dressed more appropriately for this place?”

“We didn't and there’s nothing we could do now,” Aoba said under his breath, smiling gawkily as a waitress showed them to their seat. “Just act normally.”

But acting normally was the last thing they could do now. As soon as they sat, Clear immediately dropped one of the cutleries and Aoba literally had to look up every one of the word on the menu, nothing on them looked familiar to him.

“I guess we could go with the safest choice,” he said at last and, with Ren’s help, pointing at two of what seemed like steaks at the cheerful waitress, heaving a hefty sigh the moment she thanked him for their orders and paced out of sight.

“So… this is how it is, to be a Good Partner,” Clear mumbled, glancing around. They didn't seem to be able to fit in at all. Elusive sounds of piano resounded around the serene space, embroidered velvet curtains hung across the tall glass windows, making the room looked dimmer than it really was. They had an outlandish feeling that every one of their actions were being monitored but that had always been what Platinum Jail had felt to them after all. Despite now that it was no longer in Toue’s control, the core of what it was supposed to be still remained, and this luxurious world they were never part of just made them feel as if they weren’t supposed to be here in the first place.

“Aoba-san, thank you for bringing me here,” Clear, however, smiled tenderly at Aoba when they met eyes again. He must’ve noticed the mounting regrets in Aoba from the fidgety gestures he’d been intuitively pulsating off him now.

“H-huh? Oh, it’s nothing. Well, I was the one who said to try, so this is the first place that popped up when I looked it up. I just didn't expect it to be… so amazing.”

So amazing that it made them feel out of place.

“It’s fine,” Clear said. “It’s part of experience too!”

“Haha, you’re right.”

Their conversation was soon disturbed by the waitress, who came with a bottle of wine, two of their steaks and started arranging the food on the table.

“Woah,” Aoba whispered.

“Aoba-san, this is incredible!” Clear exclaimed under his breath.

“It is, I’m not sure if I could even finish this.”

“I’ll help!”

“Ah, no, no, it’s fine. I’ll try my best.”

He definitely wouldn't want to waste every money and every second he was to spend here so he might as well enjoy it while he could. He was _sure_ that he’d never set foot into this place anymore after all.

They started off with the wine, which had Aoba warily sipping on it then putting it back. Alcohol had always been one of his weaknesses, which Ren had mindfully reminded before he took his sip. His ears felt warm upon the second sip but he was quick to be distracted when he took his first bite of the steak. The steak was seasoned to its perfection, juicy and seared brown from the outside. It was somewhere in between well-done and it was well-cooked, something Aoba had never tasted in his entire life.

“Aoba-san, this is so delicious!” Clear complimented, already taking in his third bite.

“Uhm,” Aoba mumbled under sniffled voice. It tasted good, smelled good; it’s something he’d happily pay for if they could ever afford this every day.

He didn't need to worry about not being able to finish his food after all, though the wine remained as part of his concern. Clear was swift to the rescue, though. Getting drunk was nothing he should be worried of so Aoba only managed three glasses while Clear handled the remaining with no problems whatsoever, finally leaving them gratified with their bloated stomach as they sighed contentedly beyond empty dishes.

“That was such a good meal,” Clear trailed off. “I’ve never eaten something so good like this.”

“Me neither,” Aoba said with a burp. “I wouldn't mind eating this every day. Well, but that’s only me speaking my dream out loud anyway.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Clear sat up, leaning forward, across the table, eyes twinkling at Aoba’s direction.

“Of course I did,” Aoba grinned. “Everything’s good – the food, the wine, the environment. I’d say it was a good lunch.”

But it was only good because of good company, something Aoba had already enlightened Clear from before.

“I’m glad then!” Clear grinned brighter. “I’ve enjoyed myself too! Maybe I can learn how to make this so I can make it for Aoba-san too the next time.”

“Eh, are you serious?” Aoba’s eyes brightened.

“Yeah! I’m not sure if Tae-san knows how to make this but Tae-san knows everything so maybe if I ask…”

“You don't have to trouble yourself if it’s too hard, you know?” Aoba reminded. “I’m already contented with what you make for me so far.”

“But I want to be a perfect Seragaki man!” Clear said, tension risen. “And I want to make Aoba-san happy too!”

He’s already more than happy with Clear’s thoughts alone but Clear, being as stubborn as him wouldn't rest if he never tried and it was a trait Aoba had come to be painfully familiar with. So all he did was smile at him, slanting his body across the table and patting him on the head.

“Thank you, Clear. Just try your best and don't worry too much, okay? I’ll eat anything you make anyway.”

“I’ll try my best!”

 

The bill came in a form of stabbed heart but they walked out of the restaurant with a gratified wound and a resolution of coming back only when they had extra money to spare. The streets in Platinum Jail were not as packed as how the Old Resident District was. They took the time to look around, gaping at high-end items as they pressed their noses against the shop windows, running away when the staff in the shop came out to greet them. It was an experience that was very much different from the one they had the last time they were here. As Aoba stopped in what seemed to be a spare parts shop, he spent longer time than usual, scrutinizing on the parts and tools and only walking out of it when Ren reminded him of the time. Their final stop in the street was one of a formal clothing shop, where Aoba found himself picking out clothing that he’d never ever imagined Clear to wear.

“Ugh… Aoba-san, do you really think this would look good on me?” Clear snivelled, holding onto the set of clothing Aoba had pushed into his hands while Aoba smirked, purposefully teasing.

“You’ll never know if you don’t try,” Aoba said. “Ah, the changing room is vacant now. Go on, go on.”

Half pushing Clear into one empty changing room in a corner, Aoba smiled at the closed door before he walked around the shop, trying out a few shades then hastily putting them back when he noticed the price, and only turning around when he heard the sound of door unlocking, just to find Clear peeking from the gap of it.

“What’s wrong? Are you done?” He paced towards the direction of the room. As he was about to push it open, Clear pulled it back, almost sobbing.

“Aoba-san, I don’t think this looks good on me,” he stuttered, eyeing Aoba as if he was begging for some sort of forgiveness.

“What are you talking about? You don’t like it?”

“It’s not that, it’s just that… I’ve never tried something like this before.”

“That’s the whole reason why I asked you to try, no? C’mon, let me have a look.”

After many persuasions, Clear finally opened the door, allowing Aoba full view of what he was wearing and averted his eyes when Aoba’s jaw dropped.

“C-Clear…” Aoba breathed. “Wow.”

The set of three-piece suit was handpicked by Aoba, something he was determined to see on Clear upon first sight. The piece of clothing fit seamlessly on Clear’s body, the coat white and lustrous and just enough to embody Clear’s sturdy body lines. The equally white inner shirt coated his torso in a splendidly draping way that had Aoba fondling the outline of it, feeling the abrasive sensation of clothing on his skin as he slipped his hand up to adjust the velvet tie Clear wore around his neck. He tiptoed, caressing Clear’s slightly messed up hair, putting the tousled strands back into place then leaning closer to nuzzle their noses together before he kissed Clear melodiously on the lips.

“A-Aoba-san?!”

“I… don’t know why but…” Aoba retreated, feeling just a tad embarrassed. “Seeing you in this makes me feel so happy. I mean… I don’t know, you look good and just…”

“Aoba-san.”

Clear’s voice was mellower. It took him just two seconds of pause before he spoke, visibly trying to understand what Aoba was implying. He held onto Aoba’s wrist, gently escorting him over as he caressed Aoba’s cheekbone with his thumb.

“I’d like to see Aoba in this too.”

“Eh? Here, no, I—“

“It doesn't have to be here,” Clear rectified. “One day, perhaps. When we…”

He looked away, letting his words hung in mid-air but Aoba didn't need him to tell him exactly what he meant. With a snicker, he kissed Clear again, telling him loud and clear that he’d gotten what he wanted to say.

“One day, I will. I promise,” Aoba vowed. “Now then, I’ll need to take a photo of you in this because I need to keep this in my memory and come back to get it again when I have the—“

“Aoba-san?!” Clear shrieked. “I-It’s fine! There’s no need to take pictures, it’s embarrassing!”

“C’mon, don’t be shy, it’s just a picture,” Aoba laughed, pushing Clear into position, completely ignoring Clear’s bright red face as he raised his Coil.

“Aoba-saaaaaan!”

 

By the time they got out of the shop, the heat of the day had receded to a comforting warmth, the sun had lost its brightness and all that was left was a blanket of soft warm colours. The city buzz was less than how it was in the afternoon as they walked back into the Old Resident District, just to be greeted by the usual business.

“Feels good to be back,” Aoba hummed. He walked with Clear by his side, their hands in each other’s, fingers entwining in a gentle, tantalizing way that had Clear fidgeting every so often.

“Are we going home now, Aoba-san?” Clear asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

“One more place,” Aoba said in an off-the-cuff manner. Clear asked for nothing more. With a calm expression on his face, Aoba’s features dawned in a soft gradient of pale orange and yellow. He seemed so tranquilly contented that Clear could only revel in the solitary between them as they walked, by each other’s side, with synchronized pace and soon out of the bustling area of the Old Resident District and onto a path Clear was very much familiar with.

“Aoba-san…”

They halted in front of an old building, tall grasses surrounding it as Aoba released a soft sigh before turning around to finally smile at Clear.

“Welcome home, I supposed.”

Clear had no words whatsoever to respond to Aoba. He could only follow Aoba into the house as the door opened in an inaudible creaking sound. Nothing in his grandfather’s house was distraught. Everything remained still and dustless like how it used to be. Just a day ago, Clear was right here, struggling with a decision that he knew would change his entire life. All alone – by himself. But now, Aoba was right here, by his side. Aoba, who’d bared him the path he believed to be the best for him, who’d awakened him from the inmost part of his nature right to the earnest person he was today. Aoba was the person who’d escorted him out of the fear of his life and illuminated a route to him that he’d never once considered.

And Aoba was also the reason why he could stand here again, no longer hesitant.

“You came here without me the last time,” Aoba started, breaking the silence in the room. “I could only imagine how painful and lonely you were when you stood here,” he paused, striding into the centre of the room, still with Clear following his path. “…pondering about the best decision you could make for yourself. I can never imagine how you feel. You’re always keeping things away from me, but yet,” he turned around, smiling warmheartedly as he raised his hands to cup Clear’s face. “you’re always trying so hard, all by yourself, for me – for the both of us.”

“Aoba-san…” Clear returned his smile, the only reaction he could manage. He loved Aoba’s smile. Even when Aoba was the one who’d told him that he was the sunshine of his life, that his presence had brightened up parts of him that were left in the dark, he had always found Aoba to be the one whom had made it possible for him to bring the light into Aoba’s life. They were like a pair of mirrors, reflecting light onto each other’s existence – the brighter one shone, the striker the other would be. And if Aoba was to say that he as trying hard for Aoba, he could say the same to Aoba as well – all the frustrations Aoba had been facing alone ever since he lost Clear, then when he realized that there was nothing that he could do for Clear, to how he had been trying so hard, pushing his own limits just so he could attend to Clear when he needed. He never once complained about having Clear – an android, a non-human – as his partner. Instead, he found ways to adapt to him, to ensure that he was good enough for him, so that Clear could function as normally as he could, and just so that he could always be by Aoba’s side.

Clear always felt that Aoba had never given himself enough credit for everything he’d done for him, and that was why he wanted to try his best in his own ways, to make sure that Aoba would always feel at ease whenever they were together. He wanted to be able to help Aoba when he needed it, he wanted to always be able to do things together with Aoba.

Nothing too extravagant – just simple things, like any pair of normal human couples would.

“I say the same to you,” he finally said, voice hoarse. “Aoba-san.”

He’s never good with saying things like this. Aoba made him feel so much, he made him feel as if he was _really_ a human; but yet, he wasn't able to express how exactly he felt towards Aoba. Was it because of the fact that he wasn't a human that he was unable to say how much he felt at this very moment? Was this why he couldn't find better words to tell Aoba everything he wanted to tell him? But all Aoba did was smile and shake his head. While he struggled with words, Aoba had leaned in, kissing him gently on the lips, then pressing their foreheads together.

“It’s the least I could do for you. Losing you… seeing you broken, unable to move, the thought of losing you itself… I never want to go through that again.”

It was a dark period that he could never erase – and he sworn to never make Aoba feel the same anymore. It was precisely the push that’d made him decide to replace his body with one that he was never fond of in the first place. He was nervous, and he was sure that Aoba was no better than him. But if he wanted to live longer, to stay by Aoba’s side and to experience everything and anything he could with Aoba for as long as he could, this was the only option he had.

If he had to face the consequences that would come with this decision, then so be it.

Aoba would be there for him – and that was the only strength he ever needed.

“I wanted to come here because I know how much sentimental value this place holds for you,” Aoba continued, pacing around the room as he took in the sight of all the elusive decorations lining along the wooden furniture in the room. “It was a time when I wasn't able to spend with you. I’m glad you took me here back then and now, I want to tell you, more like, remind you, that whatever is to happen, nothing will change – like this place, everything will remain the same: you, as Clear, no one else, like how I remember you to be.”

Aoba always had a way with him, in ways he never knew – he remembered what Aoba told him when they were in the park, that happiness could be so simple, just two people being together, doing casual things, and that’s more than enough. Aoba told him about things that he never knew, yet were so close to his heart. Aoba had been his master, his best friend, his mentor, his partner. And Aoba was the only person who’d come so close to acknowledge him as humanly as he ever wanted to be.

As long as he’s alive, he’d take all the bets he could lay his hands on, to crave for more seconds to live, more experiences to encounter – and _that_ was the vow he’d carry on his shoulders for the rest of his life.

“Aoba-san.”

He called him, tenderly, softly, like a whisper, yet heated all the same, and kissed him, similarly gently and passionately, the right balance Aoba loved.

“I’ll remember everything you said today,” he smiled, holding Aoba’s face in his hands, the wavering in his eyes not enough to obscure the determined shadow from beneath it. “And everything you’d ever told me.”

There’s nothing to fear. As long as he had Aoba by his side, he could overcome everything – including his greatest fear.

 

There were things that they knew would never change regardless of how long they were to share their life together, in more than just a physical sense. If Clear was to spend his entire life being how he looked like now, he was sure that he himself would always look the same to him as well, even when he was covered in wrinkles and grey hair and would no longer be as active as he was now. Nothing physical could ever sustain, anyway. There was no telling when Clear would break down, or when Aoba would meet his end in the most bewildering time and circumstance ever. It’s just how life worked. So there’s no point dwelling over the fact of how and when they’d need to fulfil their vow together but simply to just carouse in the sweet reality of them now being able to spend their time together, doing the simplest things with no unnecessary qualms whatsoever.

Clear was a second chance given to him, and there’s absolutely no way he would take this very chance for granted now that it was a guilty wish come true.

He took his time scrubbing every inch of Clear’s skin, basking in the beautiful scars and uneven patches on his flesh that was the proof of his survival. He was the reason why Clear was bearing these scars and he viewed them as nothing but proud, exquisite battle scars that Clear would wear with pride. But soon, these scars would be gone too and all that they’d be left with were memories of where they once were, of when incidences happened and how overwhelming he felt when he thought he’d lose Clear, and when he lost Clear for real. Absolutely nothing on Clear’s body was ugly, nor artificial – he loved every scar he could find, kissing every one of them, brushing his lips ever so lightly against the faded skin tone, and worshipping the entire existence that was Clear.

Clear felt no pain whatsoever when Aoba touched him like this – he allowed Aoba to clean his body for one last time, and in turn, helping out with cleaning Aoba’s body as well. They exchanged awkward smile, then small chuckles, but they were always happy, embarrassed at times, but definitely happy.

 

“Aoba-san.”

His voice was calm as he lied on the bed, waiting, ready for the replacement to take place. Aoba had been sitting by his side for the entire time now, holding his hand, knowing that this might just be the last time he was able to do so. Clear’s hand felt warm in his, despite the artificial skin, the manmade texture that Aoba knew was never meant to be Clear’s.

“Hm?” he replied, as gentle as how Clear had called out to him.

“When I wake later, I’ll make you that steak we had in Platinum Jail.”

Aoba laughed softly, trying not to break down, trying hard to appear as composed as he could.

“Have you learned how to cook it?”  
“I looked up the recipe, and asked Tae-san, she said we could make it together.”

“Is that so?”

Aoba pressed Clear’s hand against his face, yearning for the remaining warmth, the softness that he was so very much fond of.

“Aoba-san,” Clear called again, still sounding soft, but yet very much determined.

“Hm?”

“I like the park better.”

“What about it?”

“Us, just playing with the swing, speaking casually, just like that.”

“Is that so?” he repeated, already feeling tears at the back of his eyes. “I like that better too. When you…” he stuttered, swallowing his sobs down his throat to contain himself. “Whem you wake later, we’ll go there again, okay?”

Clear nodded with a smile. “Really? I’ll look forward to it.”

Not even Clear’s usual perkiness could obscure the prevalent gloominess in his voice. Not even Clear’s attempted beam could hide how he was shivering ever so slightly in Aoba’s hand. None of them knew what would happen after the replacement, none of them knew if it would succeed or if it would fail. All they could do was holding onto faith, onto the belief that everything would be fine and that they would fulfil every promise they had made for each other.

“Everything will be fine,” Aoba said, for himself and Clear to hear. Lifting himself up, he kissed Clear on the forehead, the nose, the two moles by his lips, then his lips. “We’ll do a lot of things together when you wake later. Let’s take a chance on happiness, shall we?”

There was no better assurance than how Aoba had worded it. He closed his eyes, smiling in a way so peaceful it hurt Aoba significantly. There was nothing left that he could do. He could only stare at the door when it was closed, leaving Clear alone in the room with Tae and her friend, as if he could see through it, witnessed how Clear’s body parts – the parts he’d come to love so much – were being dissected, torn apart, and replaced by ones that were completely new, completely not his.

He would get used to it all over again. If it’s Clear’s, he’d get used to it all over again regardless of how many times he’d need to do it. When the replacement was done, he held Clear’s hand in his again, like how he did before he fell into the long sleep he was in now, still craving for the warmth that he had once felt on his old limb before he lost it.

He’s warm; Clear was always warm. He was the sunshine to Aoba’s life, the brightest existence Aoba had ever encountered. Nothing would ever change – of course nothing would. And it was very much proven so when Clear opened his eyes, stroking Aoba on the hair and spoke,

“ _Aoba-san._ ”

It was a bet they made with Toue, with life itself, with themselves – it was a bet they’d gamble on, just so they could prove to themselves that happiness was more than physical, even more than emotional.

Because from the very moment Aoba had met Clear, they’d overridden the nature of law, of social norms, and of how being humans should be.

\-- just being perfectly who they were, as themselves.

 


	10. Connection [Ren x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have their own definition for Valentine's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's! For this year, I've decided to start off Valentine's write with Ren and Aoba, since it's the only pairing that isn't in this series and also it's Ren's year heh /o/
> 
> Nothing big, just a small humble write, not a chocolate, but definitely consists of my well wish for happiness for the both of them :') <3

“Are you sure you’ll be fine by your own?”

Tae walked Ren to the door, gaze wandering between Ren’s dismissive expression and the list in his hand. She’d forgotten how many times she’d repeated the items he needed to buy to him, with Ren simply nodding in response, a gesture that didn’t convince her at the slightest that he would really be fine on his first time out for his very own grocery adventure.

“I’ll be fine, Tae-san,” Ren reassured. As he said that, the puppy, where he once belonged in, barked, as if trying to support his statement.

“If you can’t find your way, remember to always ask,” Tae reminded for the umpteenth time. “Don’t wander into dark alleys, always stick to the main road.”

“I will,” Ren said. “I’ll be going off now then.”

“Okay. And don’t worry about not being able to get everything on the list if it gets too late. Just try your best.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later, Tae-san.”

And with that said, Ren waved Tae goodbye, then closing the door before he finally stepped out of the Seragaki household, right to the middle of the Midorijima street.

Seeing sun on a closer distance than he once used to still hurt his eyes, feeling rays of it directly on his bare skin still stung his flesh a bit. But what felt most surreal to him was the feeling of being able to walk on two feet, being able to hold things with his two hands, and being able to be  _ recognized _ , to be called  _ Ren _ in a meaning that was very unlike how it was in the past. 

It was like he was being reborn into a different person; like reincarnation into the same era, into a body that he never once thought he’d ever have the luxury to own. 

It was a blessing, a guilty one nevertheless. And there was never once when he’d ever stop feeling like he needed to do  _ something _ to repay for this reward he was being mercifully granted.

“We should start somewhere,” Ren muttered to himself as he scanned through the list. Ren, the puppy, barked in response, wagging his tail as he followed Ren closely by his heels.

Ren smiled a tad at the puppy’s direction, then pulled out another piece of paper from the small bag he’d brought along with him.

“The nearest location is… the fruit shop.”

Ren looked up from the map, shifting his eyes from the left, then to the right.

“It’s the right way,” he said, turning his body around to face the path leading to the right direction. Along the way, he was greeted by people he remembered to be the acquaintances of the Seragakis. And for most time, he could only manage a smile, unsure of what else to do, and at long last, after a good ten minutes, he came to stand in front of the fruit stall.

“Let’s see… ten apples, five mangoes…”

“Ren!” 

While he pondered, the middle-aged woman standing behind the fruit stall had caught sight of him. Waving at his direction, she pulled a huge grin, urging him to go over.

“Where’s Aoba?” the woman asked, looking around, as if expecting Aoba to jump out of nowhere.

“He’s working today,” Ren responded simply.

“Oh. So you’re doing grocery by yourself today?” the woman continued asking as she read through the list Ren has just given her.

“With him,” Ren said, eyes shifting to the puppy by his leg.

“Aww, Ren is here too,” the woman slouched forward, catching sight of the puppy. “Still, both of you only? That’s impressive. And here’s the things you need. It’d be 820 yen in total.”

Ren shuffled around his pocket, finding for his wallet, then giving the lady the a handful of coins he’d managed to find. While he was about to find more coins for her, she waved her hand again, stopping him.

“It’s fine. 800 yen is enough.”

“Huh? No, but…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” the woman persisted. “Take it as an encouragement gift for making it out on your own, shall we?”

“If that’s the case…” Ren trailed, still a bit hesitant. But upon seeing how the woman was smiling brightly at him, it made him feel bad to push her away. So… “I’ll accept the kind offer then. Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome. I look forward to seeing you again. Be careful while you’re on the streets.”

With a bow, Ren walked away, his hand now holding an extra item, more than just his bag when he left the house. Things seemed pretty smooth so far. And as time passed, he loaded more bags into his hands, and by the time it was almost late evening, his hands were already full of stuff; he wasn’t sure if he could carry more all by himself now.

“We should go back,” he finally announced, staring at the darkened sky as he did. With that thought, he walked towards the direction where he came from, and was just turning a corner when he heard a familiar voice.

“Please don’t overdo it. I’d like anything you give me anyhow, no matter how big or small it could be.”

“Aww, Koujaku, you’re always so sweet.”

It was pure coincidence to be running into Koujaku here. Koujaku never told anyone but his regulars where he’d be opening his mobile service anyway so, to be frank, Ren was pretty surprised himself to meet him, out of everyone else, when he was running errands by himself today.

Perhaps Aoba told him about it? And that’s why he was here, nearby to the Seragaki household?

“Yo, Ren!”

As he deliberated whether to approach Koujaku just for a simple greeting, Koujaku had found him first, taking the initiative away from him and was now marching towards his direction. Ren could see the obviously unsatisfied looks on his clients’ faces, just where he’d left them.

“Done with errands?” Koujaku asked the moment he came face to face with Ren, wide grin spread across his face as he patted Ren on the shoulder. Then, his eyes wandered to look at Ren’s hands, his expression changed to one of amusing. “Oh, I see you’ve quite some good stuff there.”

“Hello, Koujaku,” Ren spilled his delayed greeting. “Yeah, I’m done with most of the groceries.”

“I see, I see. Did you run into troubles?” 

“Not really,” Ren said. “Did Aoba tell you about this?”

“Hm? Oh, ah, yeah, he briefly mentioned that you’ll be strolling around by yourself today.” Seeing Ren’s troubled face, Koujaku quickly followed up. “Don’t worry, he didn’t ask me to follow you or anything like that. He only told me to say hi if I happen to bump into you. And don’t ask too many questions.”

“Don’t ask too many questions?” Ren wondered with tilted head.

“Yeah, he said I tend to overwhelm you,” Koujaku said with a bitter laugh. “Do I, really?”

“Not that I remember of,” Ren explicit.

“Right? Aoba is such a worrywart, he really needs to stop worrying for a second. But, oh well, I guess it can’t be helped if it comes to you,”Koujaku ended with a rough pat on Ren’s shoulder again.

“You seem pretty busy yourself too,” Ren said instead, staring at the group of women standing a distance away from them, seemingly waiting for Koujaku.

“Hm? Oh, that. It’s the usual, haha! It’s part of business, you see? But I guess you’re right in a way, too. It’s Valentine’s soon, after all.”

“...Valentine’s?”

It wasn’t like Ren wasn’t aware nor did he not know about what Valentine’s was, but now that he’d gained his very own persona, he had a strange hunch that this word, or this very day, could mean a totally different way now -- definitely more than just the surface definition he used to know.

“By the way,” Koujaku prodded instead, without answering Ren’s question. “How about you? Have you thought about doing something special yourself?”

“...Something special?” Ren repeated, slowly allowing the thought to sink into him.

Koujaku nodded, before he crossed his arms. 

“It’s your first Valentine’s with Aoba, right? Maybe a surprise would be nice.”

“A surprise?” A thin frown formed in between Ren’s eyebrows as he pondered hard. “How should I do it?”

“I knew you’d ask about it,” Koujaku grinned wider. Slinging his arm around Ren’s neck, he pulled their faces closer. “The key is to surprise, and to impress. And to do that, you need to do something that you won’t usually do.”

“Hmm…” Ren hummed, trying to understand Koujaku’s words at the same time.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you out,” Koujaku slapped him hard on the back this time. “We can start with giving you a new hairstyle, then I can help you with the flowers, and the reservation of a nice restaurant. And when it comes to nighttime…” 

For some reason, Koujaku paused there, eyeing Ren with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. 

“We’ll discuss about that later. So what say you? Are you up for it?”

He still had no idea whatsoever about this whole Valentine’s business. But it seemed to be something important that’s shared between partners so if that’s the case…

Perhaps he could do something himself too -- just as a gesture to thank Aoba for everything he’d done for him.

 

* * *

 

Aoba only came home when dinner was ready. The first thing he did from the moment he stepped into the house was rushing towards Ren, asking if everything was fine that day, and only shutting up and starting to eat his dinner when he was finally convinced that Ren had finished up his errands with no hassles whatsoever. 

Finally, when Ren was left alone in Aoba’s room while Aoba headed to shower first, he took the piece of paper Koujaku had scribbled on out of his bag, spreading it open and starting to read.

Koujaku had told him that if he to surprise Aoba meant to catch him off guard, and what were written on the paper were some of the very useful lines that would definitely come into good use. It’s not like Ren hadn’t been familiar with the lines, to be honest. For the many years since he’d acquainted Koujaku, he’d heard Koujaku said those very same lines to his customers and whenever he was to do that people would smile, blush; all in all, the responses were nothing but encouraging.

But Aoba wasn’t like the customers, and definitely not a woman. He had no confident if this would actually work on Aoba but Koujaku had then patted him hard on the back again, telling him not to worry, and that he simply needed some practices to polish himself up.

He wanted to trust Koujaku, he really wanted to trust him.

“Ren?”

He hurriedly kept the paper away, almost tearing it into half, before he turned around to look at Aoba, who had just walked into the room, towel slinging around his neck, droplets of water dripped from the tips of hair.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Ren said, trying hard to sound as calm as possible.

Aoba raised a suspicious eyebrow then. But he soon looked away and continued wiping his hair dry, then coming to sit by Ren’s side.

“Are you sure nothing happened to you when you were out today?” he asked, coming to face Ren upfront, his eyes spelled of nothing but seriousness. 

“You’ve asked this for the fifth time now,” Ren chuckled softly, just enough for Aoba to catch sight of his small fangs, poking out from the gaps of his mouth.

Letting out a loud sigh, Aoba turned around, had his back facing Ren then, without warning, tumbled and let his weight fall against Ren’s body.

“I can’t help it, alright? You see, you’re still getting used to your new body, and even when you’re used to navigating me around, that’s because you were an AllMate and you had all those systems to help you. But now you’re all alone and you have nothing but yourself to depend on, I can’t help myself, alr--”

The remaining of his words were taken away when Ren crouched down, nuzzling the tips of their noses together.

“I understand,” Ren said, the distance of their faces so close Aoba could feel Ren’s hot breath on his face when he spoke. “But I’m really fine, Aoba.”

Aoba locked gaze with Ren for mere seconds before he let out a sigh again. Raising his hands, he cupped Ren’s cheeks, thumbs rubbing against his cheekbones. 

“You need to tell me immediately if there’s something wrong, you hear me?” Aoba reminded. “Anything at all. Don’t hide things from me.”

“I won’t,” Ren reassured, then he chuckled again.

“What?” Aoba perked a curious eyebrow.

“Nothing. I was just reminded of what Koujaku said.”

“Koujaku? You met him?”

Ren nodded. 

“And what did he say?” Aoba persisted.

“That you’re a worrywart, but you can’t help yourself when it comes to…”

“...Ah, oh, I see. He’s not wrong.” A faint blush brushed across Aoba’s cheeks as he averted eye contact with Ren, but just for a short while before he was staring him in the eyes again. “I don’t plan to stop, though. Brace yourself.”

“I’m not stopping you,” Ren said with a smile, brushing their noses together again when Aoba lifted himself up, just to press their foreheads together.

“Good job today, Ren,” Aoba whispered, lips closing in towards Ren’s.

And without waiting for Ren to say anything, they locked lips, finally entering a moment that belonged solely to them for the day.

 

* * *

 

“Hmm… Maybe speak more naturally,” Koujaku commented, one hand holding onto his chin as he stared fervidly at Ren.

Since the morning, Ren had been dropping by where Koujaku was working today, running another round of errands for Tae. Thanks to Koujaku’s help, he’d been able to finish up all of them before he now found himself sitting on a bench, having Koujaku to help him practice a few lines that he’d be using for later.

It’s Valentine’s, just a week after Koujaku gave him the idea of surprising Aoba. He’d told Aoba to meet him in front of the restaurant where he’d booked a place for dinner later on. Aoba, of course, had no clue whatsoever of what Ren was planning to do. Simply taking his reasoning of ‘because he’ll be passing by Aoba’s working place and since the restaurant is near so perhaps he could wait for Aoba then’ as it was, he suspected nothing at all, and had agreed with Ren’s plan without any hesitation.

This was one of the times when Ren became very grateful towards how dense Aoba could be.

“If you really can’t, then just drop it. It’s not nice to be making the situation awkward anyway,” Koujaku commented after a long silence.

“I’ll… try my best,” Ren said after a heavy sigh, immediately having Koujaku to pat him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, it’s Aoba.”

“Precisely because it’s Aoba…” Ren trailed.

“Anyway, do you already have your things ready?” Koujaku asked, while Ren nodded.

“I’ll pick up the flower on the way there. And Tae-san tried the chocolates I made yesterday. She said they tasted good. They’re in the box now.”

“Good, good,” Koujaku grinned brightly. “Now what’s left to do is…”

Pausing, Koujaku shifted his gaze to Ren’s hair, took a step back, then crossed his arms. Ren tilted his head, wondering. And just when he was about to ask what’s wrong, Koujaku moved away, then coming back with his hairdressing tools in his hands.

“Grooming time,” he pulled a playful smirk.

“Huh? Wait…”

“Not like you don’t look good already, but it’s a special day today and you need to look extra good.”

“You’re going to…”

“Yup, tidy up some strands, style it a bit… and the whole town will swoon after you, you mark my words,” Koujaku ended as he turned Ren to face in front, the sound of scissors snipping vibrating by Ren’s ears in the next second.

It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Koujaku; Koujaku was the best hairdresser in Midorijima after all. But he never had a change of style ever since he got this new body and regardless of how hard he was to tell himself that it’s no big deal, that nothing wrong would ever happen, he could still feel his heart beating in messed up rhythm from beneath his own chest. In the end, he closed his eyes, accepting his fate, and tried hard not to let the sound of scissors by his ears distract his train of thoughts.

It felt like forever before Koujaku finally patted him on the shoulder again, urging him to open his eyes.

When he looked at the mirror, his eyes snapped wide. He wasn’t looking at a different person -- it was definitely still him, and he was definitely still recognizable. But he was still… somehow different; he could tell from his pulled back hair, his nicely styled bangs, and also the perfectly combed strands that had every part of his hair being put in superb organization. He could hardly believe he was the same person.

“You’re ready to amuse some girls, but in this case, Aoba first,” Koujaku teased. “Oh, right, have you gotten something to wear?”

“I… didn’t,” Ren stuttered, still trying to recover from the shock.

“Hmmm, in this case…” Koujaku pondered, then checking the time on his Coil. “We still have some time. I could bring you to one of the shops down the street. They have some good clothing selection there.”

“Koujaku, wait,” Ren quickly stood up when Koujaku kept his tools away. “I don’t have the…”

“You can pay me back later,” Koujaku waved his hand, brushing him off. “Besides, it’s about time you get yourself a nice set of suits. Never know when you might need them, right?”

“But--”

“It’s fine,” Koujaku interrupted again. “C’mon, we don’t have much time to spare.”

Ren wanted to say that Aoba might have something to say about having Koujaku to spend on him but based on how persistent Koujaku was towards the whole matter, as if  _ he _ was the one who’s about to meet his date, he thought perhaps there’s no way to pull himself out of this after all.

He needed to figure out a way to explain this to Aoba later — maybe after this whole surprise.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t time yet. 

He was fifteen minutes too early.

But he had nothing else to do anyway; the suit-up in the clothing shop Koujaku had dragged him to turned out to be a swift process. Before he knew it, he was already wearing a handsome-looking three-piece suit, one that definitely complemented his new hairstyle in a much better way.

Now, all he had to do was wait, with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a box of chocolate in another. He’d seen people do this on the TV, and he’d never understood the implications behind such gestures. It was just a bouquet of roses, it was just a box of chocolate, and it was just a dinner night out; nothing of those ever felt out of place, neither did it feel like something he won’t do if it wasn’t a special day.

But he had yet to know a lot of things about how humans live their life, after all. All the information in his head were gathered from logical sources that probably strayed from how common sense would work normally. There’s no one else he could trust beside Aoba, whom he could definitely not ask, considering his situation, and there’s only Koujaku, who still seemed more enthusiastic than him. For some reason.

...He should probably stop thinking so much.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he swallowed down his throat when he felt a pat on his back, causing him to jump out of reflex.

“Ren…?”

He didn’t need to see the face of the owner of the voice to know who’d just called out to him. Slowly turning around, he casted a nervous look at Aoba’s direction, who was looking at him, wide-eyed, jaws dropped.

“What… are you doing… I mean, why do you look like that?” Aoba asked, voice sounding as if he was struggling to find words.

“I…” Ren hesitated. Everything that Koujaku had practiced with him thrown out of his mind; he couldn’t remember word, let alone knowing how to answer Aoba’s questions.

After a long staring competition, he finally straightened himself up, raising the bouquet of flowers in his hands, and pushed it towards Aoba’s direction.

“F-For you.”

“Huh? … Oh, thank you, that’s… very nice,” Aoba stuttered, seemingly as bewildered as Ren was.

“I-It’s Valentine’s,” Ren attempted to explain. “I thought of… doing something.”

“Oh,” Aoba mouthed, paused, then spoke again. “Oh.”

“L-Let’s go,” Ren quickly said as he picked Aoba’s hand up, then hurried down the street.

“W-Wait, where are we going?” Aoba asked, catching up with Ren’s footsteps.

“Dinner,” Ren answered briefly.

“We’re going home?” Aoba asked again.

Ren shook his head. “The restaurant.”

“Oh…” Aoba said, then gasped when Ren escorted him to the big restaurant where they were supposed to meet. “ _ Oh _ .”

He wasn’t even sure if he was doing the right thing; all that he knew was that blood had rushed to his head before he could stop himself and before he knew it, he was holding Aoba’s hand, his body overtaking his messed up rational self, and was now doing the talking for him.

But Aoba said nothing all the way; he didn’t stop him, he didn’t ask him anything, and despite looking as confused as he was, he seemed to be giving Ren the authoritative position this time, allowing him to do whatever he wanted, despite how clumsy it might seem now.

For some reason, he wanted Aoba to talk to him, to ask him things; perhaps then, he’d be able to stay compose and not seemed like he was running away from his own embarrassment.

He’d set this up for himself after all; there’s no turning back.

“You booked a place here?” Aoba finally asked when they stepped into the restaurant. They’d never been here before. Despite the existence of Platinum Jail, there were a few restaurants around town that would often cater to the slightly wealthier residents in Midorijima. He was aware that Aoba never held any interest towards this kind of place but it’s not everyday that they got to celebrate Valentine’s anyway so perhaps… there could be an exception to what they would usually do on their daily routine.

“Yeah, I did.”

“By yourself?”

Ren didn’t respond. This might not be a good time to bring Koujaku into the picture and he could already well visualized how Aoba would react upon hearing the name.

“I got help from someone else,” he answered instead. A waiter had come to them by then, interrupting their conversation and effectively distracting their train of thought.

“Hi, we have your seat prepared. Please follow me.”

They obeyed without saying anything. They were sure that there must be some form of customary rules and regulations to follow in this kind of place but now that they’re here -- and Aoba, above all, who knew nothing about Ren’s plan until now -- all that they could do was follow and hope hard that they weren’t doing anything that would embarrass them more than they already were.

“We’ll get your food ready. Please sit down and make yourself at home in the meantime.”

At long last, they’re left alone. Without knowing what to do, both of them merely stared at each other, as if waiting for the other to make their first move.

“W-Well… If you’ve told me earlier, I could’ve dressed up better…” Aoba mumbled all of a sudden. Hearing that, Ren immediately straighten himself up, leaning a tad forward.

“Sorry, do you not like this?”

“Huh? Oh, no, not at all,” Aoba hastily shook his head. “I know you intended to give me a surprise and let me just say that you’ve done it really well, congratulations.”

Aoba broke into a bitter small chuckle then. While Ren was pondering about his next course of action, Aoba had stretched a hand towards his direction, then pressing his palm against the back of Ren’s hand.

“Thank you,” Aoba smiled gently. “I… appreciate this. A lot. Still in shock though.”

He pulled himself back, now looking around the place. The restaurant was filled with couples who were there for the same purpose as them. He fidgeted at the sight of the luxury, looked down at his own clothing, then released a sigh.

“You must have put in a lot of effort for this,” he perked an eyebrow at Ren’s direction.

“It’s a special day after all,” Ren said, finally found his voice. 

“Indeed,” Aoba grinned. “I thought about it but I never thought of doing anything; you beat me to it.”

Leaning back against his chair, he took a deep breath.

“I never thought I’d celebrate Valentine’s myself -- it’s more like a Koujaku thing, you see? Love, gifts… admiration…”

He trailed off, sounding as if he’s falling asleep. Then, Ren found his eyes locked against Aoba’s again when Aoba came back to himself, facing him.

“I guess I still have to get used to this.”

“Valentine’s?” Ren guessed.

Aoba chuckled. Pinching Ren lightly on the tip of his nose, he answered,

“That you’re here with me, that we’re together.”

His words had blood rushing to Ren’s cheeks. His heart started picking up speed as he swallowed down his throat, attempting to contain the overwhelming emotions that were swarming him from within.

“We’re… really together, right?” he said under his breath, voice nearly got lost in the midst of surrounding chatters.

“Huh? What are you talking about? Of course we’re together.”

Ren breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t like he didn’t get where Aoba came from; for himself, it still felt like a dream for being able to face Aoba like this, on the same eye level, possessing limbs that were strong enough to hold Aoba, to protect him. Everything felt like a dream, and it almost felt like everything would be taken away from him when he woke.

This body, this emotion; how naive was he to be thinking that all these belonged to him.

Could he continue thinking so? Could he continue believing that this time, he could finally be with Aoba, physically, by his side, supporting him, and be part of his life as an equal?

“Ren?” Aoba called out, noticing the distraction in Ren’s expression.

“We’re together,” Ren repeated his words.

“Of course we are,” Aoba reiterated with a smile.

Ren looked up, locking his gaze with the light-brown pair of orbs, one that he could see his own reflection in.

“We’ll always be together.”

“Of course,” Aoba nodded with a bigger smile. “We’ll always be together. You don’t even have to look like this…”

With a pause, Aoba held Ren’s face in his palm, pressing their foreheads together.

“I like the normal Ren better.”

Ren smiled at long last, small voices of chuckle slipped from his lips. The awkwardness from before long gone, they finally found comfort in the presence of each other.

Even when the food that came soon after was way exaggerated than what they were used to, they took in everything, until the very last bite, and none of them had their smile wiped off their faces throughout the entire session.

It didn’t feel like Valentine’s now -- it felt just like any other day they were to share with each other.

And that’s perhaps what Valentine’s would best mean to them.

 


End file.
